


First Job

by MystiKitten



Series: Friends Until the End/Different Names AU [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Different Names AU, Gen, I'm keeping these different names for the sake of my AU being separate from canon, This was thought of before we knew the names of the spirits and the purple guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:54:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21618742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MystiKitten/pseuds/MystiKitten
Summary: After turning 18, Darlene gains a job at Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, a place she visited to spend her birthdays until she turned 6. Why didn't she go back after her sixth birthday? Honestly, she doesn't remember. Once she starts her job, however, things start popping up that don't make sense to her. She starts hearing familiar voices, and then an old friend from her past comes back into her life. Something's off about this place, and Darlene's determined to find out what. Will she be able to figure out the mystery of her new job, or will she die trying?
Series: Friends Until the End/Different Names AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558066
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> (Quick but important note before we start:  
> This story was thought up and created around the time when FNaF 3 first came out, back when we hardly knew any names of the humans. I originally posted it on Fanfiction.net and... never finished the entire story. After reading through it, I decided I could make it better, so I've recently been working on rewriting it every once in a while. I thought about changing the names of the Purple Guy and the spirits to what they turned out to be, but I ultimately decided that for the sake of the story I’m trying to tell and to keep my alternate universe separate from the canon one, I’m going to keep the names I originally used when I started this way back when.  
> Got all that? Great. Enjoy my story!)

Darlene's POV:

“What'cha doing, Darlene?”

“Just looking through the newspaper to see if I can find something interesting to take on.”

“Okay. Try not to choose anything too crazy.”

“I won't, mom.”

I flipped through page after page, looking at add after add, but nothing truly caught my eye. Whenever I did, it would be too far away (as I don't drive) or they didn't really pay a lot of money. _Is $20 a week reasonable? I'm not entirely sure..._

Finally, I stumble upon an add about a familiar place that didn't seem to be too far away. Plus, the pay was more than I had expected it to be. I quickly reach for my cell and dial the number listed.

“Hello. I see that you need a new security guard...”

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, that night~

Normal POV:

“ _It's what we're made to do. You act like we're to blame._ ”

“Toy Bonnie...”

“ _Wear a mask to hide yourself, but really it makes us the same._ ”

“Toy Bonnie...!”

“ _A couple hours, but it's feeling like days. Now you're running out of power, leave you –_ ”

“WOULD YOU STOP SINGING THAT STUPID SONG?!”

“Sheesh, Toy Chica. All you had to do was ask.”

Toy Chica whipped her head to glare at the blue bunny. “You we're listening to me!” she snapped. “And you've been singing that song for _hours_!”

“Now now, y-y-you two.” Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica turn to the hallway to see the older, withered animatronics come out of the Parts and Service room. “Let's not start fighting a-a-again,” Withered Freddy continued.

Balloon Boy walked over to the others as the Mangle and Puppet came out of their respective rooms as well. “Hey,” the robotic kid asked. “Where's Toy Freddy?”

“Making sure the previous night guard is no longer there, I believe,” Toy Bonnie answered. As soon as he finished speaking, Toy Freddy entered the main room.

“Everyone, I have an announcement!” he claimed.

“No way! Is he still there?” Mangle asked in shock.

Toy Freddy shook his head. “No, he isn't. However, I overheard one of the day workers claim that a new night guard will be starting tomorrow. I think they said her name was... 'Darlene'?”

“A female guard...?” Toy Chica pondered in surprise. “That's new...”

“Do we get to scare her too?” Mangle asked the shiny bear.

Toy Freddy nodded. “You guys know the plan. It'll be just like with Jeremy and Fritz; we'll make sure she never comes here at night ever again.”

The clock then struck midnight, and the toys went back to their respective places as the withered ones reentered the Parts and Service room.

All was quiet, but then Chica spoke up in a female, child-like voice. “ _Darlene...? Could it be...?_ ”

“ _Let's not get our hopes up..._ ” Another child's voice, this time male, came out of Freddy. “ _It could just be someone who shares the name. I mean, really, why would she want to come back, after what happened to us?_ ”

“ _I remember, shortly after we possessed these,_ ” Bonnie answered, “ _someone mentioned a little girl needing to get her memory suppressed. I'm 85% sure that was her, that she probably doesn't remember what happened back then._ ”

“ _Well, what if she ends up remembering, then?!_ ” Foxy asks in a panic.

“ _Like I just said,_ ” Freddy answered, “ _let's not get our hopes up. It's too soon for that. Let's let the toys interact with her first. Then we'll decide what to do._ ”


	2. Night 1

Darlene's POV:

“I'm off to work, mom!”

“Really? So soon? Where're you off to?”

“Uh... 'Freddy Fasbear's Pizzeria'. I think I'm the new night guard.”

“...Huh. I thought that place closed down several years ago.”

“I guess they reopened, apparently... Wait, what?” I did a double take.

“Do you remember? Up until you were six, we would take you there for your birthday. You loved Freddy and the gang, even Balloon Boy. But then it closed down due to safety reasons.”

“Oh yeah.” I do remember that, in fact. I also remember my group of friends that were invited to the parties we had there. If I remember right, I think their names were Ash, James, Samantha, Evan, and Trevor.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen them since my 6th birthday, with them moving shortly after then. I wonder how they're doing...

I snap out of my thoughts when I hear mom sigh reminiscently. “It was a tradition that we had ever since your grandmother was a teen. She used to tell me all kinds of stories of Fredbear's Family Diner.”

“'Fred-Bear's Family Diner?'” I repeated as I struggled to get my right arm into the sleeve of my winter coat. “Did you ever happen to go there?”

Mom thought for a minute. “...I think so, but I only remember going there when I was 10. I remember meeting a boy named Scott, who was waiting for his mother outside the building. I remember him looking worried and me telling him she'd show up soon. Later, when we were leaving, he was no longer there. At first, I assumed his mother had found him, but then I found out from a newspaper article that there was a murder there that very day... The place closed down, but a few years after that Freddy Fazbear's Pizza opened up, and we started going there.”

My eyes widened in shock. “Oh my god...”

“So, be careful out there, and come back safe,” mom told me, smiling sadly. “Okay?”

I hug her. “I will. Promise.” And with that, I head out the door to go start my very first job.

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, 12 AM~

I open the front door to a dark and empty pizzeria. It almost looked eerie... Then again, what place _doesn't_ look eerie when it's night and it's dark and there's no one else around? I find my way to the office, and I'm greeted with a Freddy head on the desk. I sit down, set the head to the side, and turn on the monitor that viewed the security footage. I go through the cameras until I get to the Prize Corner, where I see some sort of circle that acted as a timer. By the monitor was a button labeled 'Music Box'. Holding the button would wind up the timer, so I held the button in until I heard the phone ring.

* _ring ring ring_ *

I picked the phone up and answered. “Hello?”

“ _Uh, hello? Hello, hello?_ ”

“Hi!” I responded cheerfully; it was the same guy that answered when I first applied.

“ _Uh, hello and welcome to your new summer job at the new and improved Freddy Fasbear's Pizza._ ”

_Summer job?_ I thought to myself. _This must be a recording then; it's November!_

“ _Uh, I'm here to talk to you through some of the things you can expect to see during your first week here and help you get started down this new and exciting career path._ ”

Normal POV:

“Can I sing now?”

“No...”

“How about now?”

“No...!”

“...Now?”

“NO!”

“Shut it, you two. I think Darlene might be here.”

“Really? Great! Let's go scare her then!”

“All right, all right. Toy Bonnie, you go first.”

“And wait until you go to another room before you sing this time.”

“Okay, okay. Stop whining, Toy Chica; I'm going.”

~The Office, 2 AM~

Darlene's POV:

“ _So our temporary solution is this: there's a music box over by the Prize Corner, and it's rigged to be wound up remotely._ ”

“Already figured that out,” I spoke out loud while yawning.

“ _It doesn't seem to affect all of them, but it does affect..._ one _of them..._ ”

I felt myself raise an eyebrow. Why did this person sound so uneasy all of a sudden?

“ _You see, there may be a minor glitch in the system, something about robots seeing you as an endoskeleton without it's costume on, and wanting to stuff you in a suit, so hey, we've given you an empty Freddy Fasbear head. Problem solved!_ ”

As I listened on to his rambling, I looked at the Freddy head. Gears turning in my head, I look behind me to see an empty Freddy suit sprawled out on top of a box. Putting the phone on speaker, I walk over to the box and open it. There were all kinds of decorations inside. I smile to myself...

About an hour later, I check myself over in a nearby mirror to see how my new suit turned out. I was now wearing a red, female-looking Freddy suit that wore a black crop top and black shorts. “This turned out great!” I admired my own work. “I look adorable!”

“ _Let's try to make it right._

_Don't wanna start a fight._ ”

I jumped at the sound and sped back to the cameras. Speed-checking them, I quickly saw a blue bunny animatronic in the second Party Room. He was strumming his guitar and singing a song.

“ _Let's try to make it right._

_Don't wanna start a fight._

_And we're so sorry if we give you a little fright._

_We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight._

_You'll be so happy just as long as you survive the night!_ ”

He didn't look like he'd be that much of a threat, so I checked through the other cameras, looking for the others. When I got to the Main Stage, I noticed the chicken wasn't where she was supposed to be either. _Gotta look for her too..._ The strange thing was I couldn't find her _anywhere_!

“Oh! Hey there!”

I squeak as I turn to my left. It was the chicken! Wait... why hasn't she tried to stuff me yet...? Oh right... I'm already wearing a suit... I even forgot to take the mask off.

“Whom might you be, miss?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. What should I say? Having no time to think things over, I immediately thought of a different name and blurted out, “A-A-Annabelle!”

“Annabelle...” she repeated, slowly smiling. “That's a cute name. I'm so jealous. I'm Toy Chica. Nice to meet you!”

“Toy Chica...?” I ask as she shakes my hand as well as an animatronic can. “Why not just Chica?”

“There's actually another Chica here. An older one. The first one, I think? Who knows? You might get to meet her and the others soon.” The robot chicken then grabbed my arm. “Maybe I can introduce you to the others!”

“U-um...well...” I stammer. “I...I...um...”

“Toy Chica, have you found the night guard?” I turned to my right to see the blue bunny from before. “Oh. Who's this?”

“This is Annabelle! She's new here!” Toy Chica happily replied to the bunny.

“Hey, Anna. I'm Toy Bonnie. May I call you Anna?” he asked me as he waved. I nodded, and he glanced over at the office. “Hey, wait... Where's the night guard? Wasn't she supposed to be here...?”

_Shit! Shit! Shit!_

“Oh yeah, I forgot... Where _is_ she?” Toy Chica followed Toy Bonnie's gaze into the room.

“I... um... I... I saw her roaming around the pizzeria!” I blurted out. “She... she must've wanted to look around the place since it's her first time here.”

Silence. Both animatronics stare at me for a couple seconds before Toy Bonnie goes, “Perfect! Let's go scare her, you two!”

Wait... _what_?!

Toy Chica beamed. “Yeah! C'mon, Annabelle! Let's go!” She pulled me with her as she followed her bunny friend.

“...Hey... Toy Chica...?” I ask the chicken taking me with her against my will.

“Hm?”

“Why... why do you want to scare the night guard...?”

Toy Chica stayed silent for a second, and when she spoke, she sounded even more robotic than earlier. “Because humans are not allowed to be here at night. We were programmed to protect children from unruly adults, so we decided that adults in general should not be in here at night at all.”

I gulp. _What did I get myself into...?_

* _ding dong ding dong, ding done ding dong_ *

“Oh no; we're too late!” Toy Bonnie pouted as he folded his arms, and I took my chance to slip away back into the office to put away my Annabelle suit so I could clock out and leave.

As I exited the restaurant, I sigh in relief. _It's okay, Darlene. Only four more nights to go..._

“Hey miss! Were you just at Freddy Fasbear's?”

I turn to my left to see a group of five kids, three boys and two girls. One of the girls, the blonde one, ran over to me and looked up at me, waiting for me to answer her question.

“Why, yes,” I respond, smiling. “I'm the new night guard there. I make sure the animatronics behave themselves while everyone else is away.”

“Ooooooohh,” the kids awed.

“That's so cool!” the black-haired boy exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

“Can we go with you next time?” the brunette girl asked me.

“Sorry,” I shake my head. “There's a reason why I'm a _night_ guard: I work while kids like you are supposed to be asleep.”

“Please?” the blonde girl begged. “It's my birthday today! And tomorrow's Maxine's birthday!”

“Nope. Can't do that. Sorry.”

“We're going there today and tomorrow for your birthdays anyways,” the younger, ginger boy told the girls. “Stop being so seffish.”

“You mean 'selfish',” the older, brown-haired boy, whom looked like he could be the younger boy's brother, corrected. “And don't lie; you wanted to go too, didn't you?”

“...Shut up, Drake...”

I giggled; these kids were just too cute. They almost remind me of my old friends. “Well, my name is Darlene. Who are all of you?”

“I'm Crystal!” the blonde girl answered. “The other girl is Maxine. The older boy is Drake, and his younger brother is Bill. The other boy is my older brother, Seth.”

“It's nice to meet all of you,” I tell the five kids. “I'll be sure to come talk to you again later today, but right now...” I yawn. “...I need to get some shut eye...”

“Okay! Night night, Darlene!” Crystal waved, and the others join in.

“Have a happy birthday, Crystal!” I tell her as I walk back home.

???'s POV:

I was frozen in place as I watched the new night guard talk to the kids that were playing outside. There's something about her that feels... familiar to me... Is it her looks... or maybe it's her voice...? I think I know her from somewhere but from where...?

_Who is she, exactly...?_

“Have a happy birthday, Crystal!” I'm brought out of my thoughts as I see the new employee walking towards me. I took a step to my right to let her pass by. “Excuse me. Sorry.”

“No problem...”

As I turn around to watch her walk away, I suddenly recall the little girl I used to be friends with before the first Freddy Fasbear's closed down. _Is it really_ her _...?_

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, 6:30 AM~

Normal POV:

“What do you mean Darlene wasn't here?!” Toy Freddy shouted at the other two toy robots.

“We're sorry. We only saw a new animatronic. A red bear,” Toy Bonnie explained to the bear.

“Her name is Annabelle,” Toy Chica added.

“Annabelle, eh?” The brown bear repeated, half to himself. “I'd like to meet this 'Annabelle'...”

Meanwhile, Bonnie closes the door to the Parts and Service Room. “Did you h-h-hear that? There's a new b-b-b-bear. Calls herself A-Annabelle.”

“Who wants to p-p-p-pay her a v-visit next t-t-time, then?” Freddy asked the group. Foxy then quickly raises his hook.

“I'd love to meet this new l-l-lackey, Annabelle, and possibly f-f-find that s-stowaway night guard,” he replied.

“I guess it's s-settled then,” the old bear said, and everyone slumped onto the floor and fell into sleep mode. Well... everyone except Foxy himself. The robot fox, on the other hand, just stared at the closed door.

“ _Darlene..._ ” a child-like voice whispered out of Foxy's mouth. “ _If it's really you... will you recognize me? Will you remember me? Will you... remember what happened to your old friends...?_ ”


	3. Night 2

Darlene's POV:

“ _Hurry! We gotta give cake to the children!”_

_I suddenly found myself in a small diner with little kids and... Freddy? Is that really him? I don't remember him being... yellow-ish... Either way, I grab a plate with cake and help Freddy out._

_I soon reach a little girl. “Here you go,” I tell her, handing her a slice of birthday cake. Now that I think about it, she kind of looks a lot like my mom._

“ _Thank you! It's my birthday today!” she told me, grinning happily._

“ _Well, happy birthday then.” I smiled back. All of a sudden, as I rush over to another child, I see what looks like a 10-year old boy sitting outside, crying._ I wonder what's the matter, _I thought to myself._

_As I continue to help Freddy hand out cake to the hungry children, I suddenly hear a boy-like voice inside my head._

“Save him... _”_

“ _What...?” I said aloud, taken by surprise. I then notice a car pull up outside, by the boy. All of a sudden, I'm frozen in place, forced to look through the window as a man in a pinkish-purple shirt and blue jeans come out of the car and walk toward the boy._

“At first, I assumed his mother had found him, but then I found out on a newspaper that there was a murder of a child there that very day. _”_

_My mother's words echoed through my mind, but when I finally came to realize what was going on, it was already too late: the purple man handed the boy something, and the kid ate it. As the man reentered the car and the car drove off, the kid suddenly acted like he was choking, and he collapsed..._

  
  


“ _Scott!_ ” I shouted as I woke up and shot up in my bed. It took me a minute for me to realize that it was only a dream.

“Honey...?” I heard my mother call out. “You okay?”

“I got out of bed and began to get dressed. “Yeah! Just a bad dream, is all.”

As I got my uniform on, I began to muse on my dream. _How is that even possible? The dream I just had_ has _to be one of mom's memories! Why did I_ _dream about an incident that occurred before I was born? Am I worried? Scared?_ I then enter the living room, put on my coat, and tell mom I was leaving. I grab a notebook and pencil, and mom gave me a cookie to have during my shift, and I left home.

I came across the five kids again and got their attention. “Hello! How was your birthday, Crystal?”

Crystal ran up to me and hugged me out of excitement. “It was amazing! Maxine can't wait for hers!”

I joyfully returned Crystal's hug. “I'm sure she can't,” I tell her. “What did you do today?”

“We ate pizza, played arcade games... We even played hide and seek with Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica!”

“Really...? My friends and I used to play hide and seek with them when we were your age,” I kneel down to her level. “You guys actually remind me of them a lot.”

“Are they gone?” she asked as Maxine noticed us and walked over to us.

“They moved several years ago,” I explained. “I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss them.”

“Maybe you can call them over for my birthday tomorrow!” Maxine suggested. “Then we can all play together!”

“That would be nice.” I chuckled. “The only thing is I don't have their phone numbers, and I gotta go to sleep so I can work the night shift.”

“Aw...” Maxine pouted. “I want you to be there...”

“I'm sorry I can't... here.” I reach into my pocket and give her the cookie I was planning on having later. “Try to save it for tomorrow, 'kay?”

“Okay! Thank you so much!” Maxine held the cookie close to her chest, beaming.

I then stood up and told the girls. “Well, I better make sure they behave themselves so you can have the best birthday ever tomorrow. See you later!”

As I leave, I hear a door open and a lady telling the kids to come back in so they can get ready for bed. I could hear them groan, and I couldn't help but giggle. _Kids can be so cute..._

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, 12 AM~

I quickly head over to the office and put on the Annabelle suit on. I took a quick look at the vents and the main hall before I started taking notes about last night and the dream I had in the notebook I had brought with me, all the while winding the music box to keep the mystery animatronic at bay.

* _ring ring ring_ *

I pick up the phone. “Yello?”

“ _Ah... hello, hello! Uh, see? I told you your first night wouldn't be a problem. You're a natural!_ ”

“Thank you,” I told the recording, keeping my notebook open in case he said anything important.

“ _Uh, by now, I'm sure you've noticed the older models sitting in the back room. Uh, those are from the previous location..._ ”

“The previous location?!” I looked at the backroom camera to see, sure enough, the old Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. I clasp my hands together and smile happily. The gang's all here! Even my favorite: Foxy the Pirate. I sigh as memories filled my head. I didn't always like Foxy. I remember back when I was still scared of the animatronic fox...

  
  


_I hid behind Balloon Boy as my new friend Evan walked over to me. “Come on, birthday girl!” He had held out a hand to me. “Let's go play with Foxy the Pirate!”_

_I fearfully shook my head. “No way! Foxy scares me!”_

“ _It'll be fine. Are you afraid Foxy with hurt you? Because he won't. I'm sure of it.”_

“ _...You sure...?”_

“ _Ask Balloon Boy; he'll vouch for me.”_

_I walk around to look at Balloon Boy. He giggles and nods. “...Okay...” I shyly take Evan's hand, and he leads me to the robot fox._

_Golden eyes looked down at me as the fox kneeled down to look at me. “Aye, tis the birthday girl! Do ye want to sail the seven seas with this ol' pirate fox?” I nodded shyly. “Well, grab your crew, and we'll all set sail!”_

  
  


I sigh dreamily as I remember singing with Foxy and my friends on stage, Evan holding my hand the entire time. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe I had developed a childhood crush on him...

“ _One more thing: don't forget the music box. I'll be honest, I never liked that puppet thing. It was always... thinking... and it can go anywhere... I don't think a Freddy mask will fool it, so just_ don't _forget the music box._ ”

There he goes again, sounding so uneasy. At least it seems now I know why.

“Hello...”

Wait, that voice... was that...? I check the camera in the left vent to see Balloon Boy inside. I quickly put the mask on as he comes out.

“Hi!” Balloon Boy waved. “Are you Annabelle?” I nod, and he hugged me. “Nice to meet you.”

I hug the robot boy back. “Same here.” I always liked Balloon Boy, even though my friends found him annoying.

BB then jumped up and down. “Hey! Hey! Hey! Let's pull a prank on the night guard!” He walks over to my desk and takes my flashlight.

“Wait... huh?”

“Let's take the batteries away!”

I begin to panic. “W-wait...uh...um... I don't think we should – ”

“Balloon Boy...?”

We look into the main hallway to see a chubby bear. Toy Freddy, I assume.

“I haven't seen the night guard yet. Put the batteries back.”

“Aw...” BB puts them back on the desk and waddles out of the office.

I stood there speechless as Toy Freddy walks over to me. “...Annabelle, right?”

I nod. “Y-yes, I am...”

He walks around me, silently judging me. “How come I've never seen you in the daytime...?”

“I-I-I'm just a prototype. I'm not fit with the same equipment as you yet...”

After a couple of rotations and uncomfortable silence, he finally spoke. “...Alright.” He holds out his hand to me. “Welcome to the team.”

...Wait, really? I smile and shook his hand, trying to act as robotic as possible. And with that, Toy Freddy leads me through the pizzeria, giving me a tour of it.

~5 AM~

“It's about time for her to leave, so tomorrow, be ready to scare her away.”

“Yes, sir!”

After Toy Freddy explained what I was supposed to do when we see a night guard, he left me on my own. I reentered the office and checked the time. _One more hour to go, Darlene..._ I thought to myself. As I slump into my chair, I suddenly hear metal footsteps coming closer... and closer...

“NEWBIE!”

“AH!”

The animatronic and I tumbled onto the floor. After making sure the mask was still on my head, I look up to see Foxy...

“Aye there, l-l-lassie. Name's F-F-Foxy. Your name be An-An-An-Anniebelle, r-right?”

_Anniebelle... what a cute nickname..._ I nod. “Indeed I am. Nice to meet you, Foxy.”

The withered animatronic picked himself up before helping me up as well. “There ye go. Huh, that was e-e-easier to do than an-an-an-anticipated.”

Shoot! I had gotten up as quickly as possible and didn't think to act robotically. Trying to deflect suspicions, I asked the fox, “How come you and the others are still here?”

“We be used for p-parts,” Foxy explained, which saddened me: that would mean the old robots would soon disappear into the newer ones. I didn't want that to happen, but what could I do? The animatronic sighed. “Ah, I remember this young g-g-girl I used to play and sing s-songs with. She'd be sad to know I'd di-di-disappear at some point. I was her favorite. Her name b-b-b-be Darlene, I believe...”

“That reminds me,” I speak up. “The night guard's name is Darlene. Could it possibly be her...?”

I could hear faint whirring from Foxy's gears. Then his eyes turned black, freaking me out slightly. “ _I hope it is. I want to meet her. I want to see her again..._ ”

As he left the office and back to the Parts and Service room, I'm left with questions and a splitting headache. _Why... why did he sound like a child just now...?! Why does he sound so familiar...?_

Clutching my head in pain, I suddenly began to hear music. Trying to recall the song helped distract me from the pain. _Is that Pop Goes the Weasel...?_

_...Oh, fuck..._

* _ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong_ *

As my headache slowly goes away, the clock strikes 6! Thank god! It's a miracle! I quickly took the suit off and zoom out the door.

~Main Stage~

Normal POV:

“Still no sign of her?” Freddy asked Toy Freddy.

Toy Freddy shook his head. “Nope. I met Annabelle, though. Gave her the run down on what she needs to do. I'm not sure if I trust her though: I find it odd that she only shows up at night. She claims it's cause she's a prototype, but I'm not sure I believe that yet...”

“The night guard must be m-moving around...” Bonnie pondered. “Or maybe she's hiding. Hiding in plain sight...”

Foxy turned to Bonnie, his gears whirring once again. “Is it possible that...?” he thought aloud to himself.

“Either way,” Freddy responded. “Mangle, Bonnie, Chica, you three will try to find the night guard tonight.”

The three chosen animatronics nodded in acknowledgement.

~outside the pizzeria~

“Come on! Let's go!”

“Wait up, Maxine!”

The other four children caught up to the birthday girl, whom had stopped in front of the door.

“I'm so disappointed we couldn't get up in time to talk to Darlene,” Crystal pouted.

“Me too, but hopefully we'll be able to see her tonight!” Maxine reassured her friend. "I can't wait to have her cookie!"

Just then, a man passed by the five kids and unlocked the front door.

“Hello there,” the man said, turning to look at the five. “I hear it's someone's birthday today?”

“Yes! It's me! I'm 11 now!” Maxine replied proudly, puffing out her chest.

“Well then...” The man smiled as he opened the door for them. “How about we get your party started and play a party game?”

The kids all cheered. “What should we play?” Drake's little brother asked.

“Hmm... I knew a group of 6 that loved to play hide and seek in the old Freddy's, and you all remind me a lot of them. What do you five say to that? ”

The kids ran inside excitedly to get a head start, not noticing the man's smirk as he closed and locked the door...

“ _The more the merrier, right? We'll all be friends forever..._ ”


	4. Night 3 Part 1

Darlene's POV:

I couldn't go back to sleep. I just couldn't. There were so many questions I wanted answers to.

Who's the puppet guy? Why do I keep having these dreams? Why did I get that headache when I heard that child's voice from Foxy?

I'm also wondering if that last question has something to do with the dream I just had; I was 6-years old again, saying goodbye to Foxy and leaving to fond my friends, but when I did find them, they were all dead, and...

Ugh... whenever I think about that dream, I get another bad headache. I decided to just get dressed and walk downstairs to get a pain reliever. As I get myself something to drink, my mother walks into the kitchen.

“Can't sleep, Darlene?” she asked me.

I shook my head before asking her, “Mom? Why was the previous location closed down again...?”

“Due to safety and sanitary reasons. Why?”

I take a deep breath. “Well... I had a dream... I was looking for my old friends, but when I did end up finding them in the backroom, they were...” My headache came back, but I felt like I _had_ to keep going. “They were dead, and there was a golden Bonnie just standing over them, holding a bloody knife...”

My mom gasped in shock, and I glanced at her. “What? What is it...?” I asked, confused.

She sighed in defeat and told me to sit down at the table. I did so, as did my mother, and she explained. “Listen... when it was your 6th birthday, we took you and your five friends to Freddy's. You wanted to go play with Foxy, and your father and I let you. We then saw Spring Bonnie take your friends somewhere, but we honestly didn't think anything of it. A bit later...” She trailed off, looking down at the table.

“...I went looking for them and found them dead,” I finished for her, putting some pieces together.

My mother nodded, a hand moving up to cover her mouth as she held back tears. “We heard you scream, and when we saw you, you were running from Spring Bonnie. Luckily, we escaped, but you were scarred for life due to the incident. We had to take you to the hospital to suppress your memories. We made sure you remembered your friends, but we told you they moved so you wouldn't have future complications with your memory...” She sighed. “So much for that thought...”

“Why didn't you sue them?” I asked.

“Didn't have enough money to consult a lawyer. They gave us money to keep our mouths shut, too.”

I was speechless, feeling tears form in my own eyes. I almost lost my life when I was _6_ , and there didn't really seem to be anything my family could do about it if I had...

“That's the real reason why I told you to be careful on your first night,” mom added, “because I thought going there would bring back memories you wouldn't want to remember...”

I hug my mom. “Thank you for thinking of me, but now I know what really happened to my friends, I want to find out who it was that did it.”

“Just be careful, and come back home safe, okay?”

“Of course I will. Cross my heart.”

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza~

Normal POV:

“It's al-already 11 PM! Where's Annabelle? I w-w-wanna see Annabelle!!”

“Chica, w-w-will you shut it? Foxy's tr-trying to talk to me!” Freddy shouted at the broken chicken before turning to the fox. “Sorry, Fo-Foxy. What was it you wanted to s-s-say?”

Foxy's looked down, avoiding Freddy's gaze. “I be sorry, Fr-Freddy. I did some thi-thinkin', and I'm beginning t-to consider the fact th-that Anniebelle m-m-might act-actually be Darlene in disgui-guise.”

Freddy pondered a bit. “Hmm... You could be right... W-w-w-what I meant to say w-was I knew that all al-long! Yes... That's it...”

Mangle crawled over to the two older robots. “If you think Annabelle's Darlene, why not confront her yourself? Scare the living crap outta her! She deserves it for trying to trick us!”

Freddy stayed silent for a second. “W-well, I... n-n-need more evidence. I nee-eed to make s-sure I'm not going in the wrong di-irection, and that's where you-you come in. I want yu, Chica, and Bon-onnie to check for anything suspicious about Annabelle. Any sign that she's not really one of us if Darlene's no-owhere to be found tonight,” he finally explained.

Mangle nodded. “Okay. Gotcha.” He then crawled back to Kid's Cove. Although she thought there was something more to Freddy's hesitation, he decided to not pressure the matter.

Foxy, however, did press on. “ _It's because you think this is the same Darlene, isn't it?_ ”

“ _Wh-what are you talking about?!_ ” the flustered bear snapped.

“ _You have a feeling that this is the same Darlene from our group 12 years ago. You don't want her to be afraid of us,_ ” Foxy explained himself.

“ _I don't know what you're talking about,_ ” Freddy denied, defiantly crossing his arms and looking away from Foxy.

“ _Yes, you do,_ Ash _..._ ”

“ _DO NOT CALL ME THAT!_ ” Freddy shouted, attempting to punch Foxy, though the fox animatronic dodged in time.

Foxy sighed. “ _You were always the hot-headed one, Ash..._ ”

“ _I told you: Do not call me Ash! My name isn't Ash! Not anymore! It's Freddy! Ash is long gone, and so is James, Evan, Samantha, and Trevor!_ ”

“ _Sheesh. You two need to calm down,_ ” the Puppet said as he walked into the room, drinking a cup of coffee. “ _I know how you feel; I was once a human, too, who was also killed by that man. I heard he struck down five more kids today._ ”

“ _Why don't_ you _scare her then?_ ” Freddy asked him.

“ _I can't! She somehow keeps the music box on! It's so relaxing and keeps me asleep!_ ” Freddy facepalmed.

“ _Hang on a minute... you know, I haven't seen you since we found out Darlene was the new night guard,_ ” Foxy recalled. “ _What were you doing, exactly...?_ ”

“ _You're not making Darlene have dreams, are you?_ ” the brown bear accused.

“ _...Yes..._ ” he admitted. Freddy and Foxy glared at the puppet. “ _Oh, come on! If she is who you think she is, she might be able to help us. Why_ can't _I give her dreams?_ ”

“ _Because we don't want anyone knowing of your supernatural powers!_ ” Freddy explained once again. “ _Well, if Darlene does come by, she should be here any minute. I'm gonna go get Bonnie._ ” Freddy walked over to the Parts and Service room, where he had heard someone singing. He opened the door, knowing the voice was Bonnie. “ _Hey, Bonnie, it's almost time for – OH MY GOD! PUT YOUR SUIT BACK ON, BONNIE!_ ”

“ _Sorry..._ ” the embarrassed robot rabbit apologised.

All the while, the Mangle was laying down in her place at Kid's Cove. If someone was with him, they might think they had been crying.

“ _What went wrong...?_ ” he whimpered to herself, sounding like a young child. “ _Why did my birthday have to be so tragic...? If we had met Darlene this morning, would things have been different?_ ” She then growled and clenched her fists. “ _They'll pay... Those adults_ will _pay...!_ ”


	5. Night 3 Part 2

Darlene's POV:

I sadly put the suit on and sit down at my desk. The five kids weren't there to talk to me today; they must've been tuckered out from the consecutive birthdays. Still... I've got a weird feeling in my gut that's not going away...

I take in a deep breath, and I let it out. The truth about my friends was also still lingering through my mind. Trying to distract myself, I checked the footage and noticed that Toy Foxy, I'm assuming, is already out of Kid's Cove.

* _ring ring ring_ *

“Hello,” I said after picking up the phone.

“ _Hello, hello! See? I told you you wouldn't have any problems! Did... uh... did Foxy ever appear in the hallway? Probably not. I was just curious._ ”

I thought back to last night, when Foxy tackled me and... and... _Ow. Ow, my head. Don't think about it. Not now..._

“ _He won't hurt you. I'm sure of it.”_

“ _I want to meet her... I want to see her again...”_

Now that I think about it, that voice that came out of Foxy before he left... It kinda sounded like Evan's... _No... No, it can't possibly be that... Am I even remembering right? Was that_ really _Evan's voice?_

I shook my head. _There's no use dwelling on it, Darlene. No need to get anxious about it._ I tried to focus on the recording, the phone guy talking about that Toy Foxy animatronic, which is apparently called 'The Mangle', but I couldn't help but think of the possibilities.

_Could it be possible that my friends are inside the animatronics...? N-no... That... that can't be possible... Can it...?_

“ _Oh, hey, before I go, uh, I wanted to ease your mind about any rumors you might have heard lately. You know how these local stories come and go and seldom mean anything. I can personally assure you that, whatever is going on out there, and however tragic it may be, has nothing to do with our establishment. It's all just rumor and speculation... People trying to make a buck, you know... Uh, our guard during the day has reported nothing unusual, and he's on watch from opening 'till close. Okay, well anyway, hang in there, and I'll talk to you tomorrow._ ”

That sparked my interest and made feeling in my gut grow stronger. Considering what my mother told me, something probably _did_ happen here.

And... the kids weren't there to greet me this time...

_It's just a coincidence, right...? Right?!_

I get up from my seat and start pacing around the office, placing the mask on just in case anyone decides to show up. I'm freaking out right now! I just found out my old friends have been dead ever since I was 6, and now it seems like the other five might be dead as well!

I snap out of my thoughts when I suddenly hear a crinkling sound, like a wrapper falling onto the floor. _Wait, when did that radio static start?_

“ _Oh no! My cookie!_ ”

I look up at the ceiling to see the Mangle reach down and grabbed what had fallen onto the ground. A cookie that was inside a familiar wrapping...

Mangle then looked at me, squinting as if she recognized me, but couldn't place from where. Or is Mangle a he? I'd feel terrible calling her an it, despite him being just a robot. They? I don't know... To me, she looks female.

“ _Annabelle...?_ ” Mangle asked in a suspicious tone. Her voice sounded very familiar. Very feminine and child-like. Trying to stay calm yet sweating bullets on the inside, I nod. The fox sighed sadly as she crawled down from the ceiling onto the floor. “ _I was hoping to find the night guard; I wanted to talk to her about something._ ”

“What did you want to tell her?” I ask, carefully stepping closer to him. She showed me the cookie she picked up from the floor.

“ _I wanted to know if she'd recognize this; she gave me this a couple days ago._ ”

_It's true..._

I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry _so_ bad. But I couldn't risk blowing my cover, no matter how bad it makes me feel. “She was here? Where did she give it to you? Do you remember when?”

“ _It was actually outside. I'm not sure if the others informed you yet, but the older versions of the robots are possessed by kids that were killed here several years ago. We were killed just this morning, and we ended up possessing the toys._ ”

“Who killed you?” I ask, hoping to get an answer. “Can you remember?”

“ _...I couldn't tell. The man that let us in didn't turn on the lights..._ ” So it might have been a man... “ _I think I could see a silhouette of Freddy... or was it Bonnie...? I couldn't tell..._ ”

I pat Mangle on the head. “I'm sure once the night guard shows up, she can comfort you.”

“ _I'm not so sure..._ ” Mangle looked at me in the eyes. “ _Mangle's telling me to scare her away. That there was nothing Darlene could've done, that_ any _adult could've done, and they can't be here when it's closed._ ” She then turned around and left the office, saying, “ _Let me know if you end up seeing her._ ”

“I will.” I wave bye to her, despite her not looking back. “And I hope she'll recognize you, Toy Foxy...”

Once the fox left, I collapsed onto the floor and cried as quietly as I could. _Why kids...? They don't deserve to have their lives cut short. What has the world come to?_

After my tears finally stopped, I stand back up and notice something different about the office; one of the paper pals from Party Room 4 was on the wall. _How did that get there...?_ I walked over to it, took it off the wall, and headed for Party Room 4. I hung the paper pal back where it originally was, and I turned around to head back into the office only to step back and yelp, startled by what was in front of me.

“Annabelle! Good to s-see you!” the original Chica said as she stepped closer to me and tried to wrap her broken arms around me. She then let out a confused sound as she patted down my sides. “Gee... your endoskeleton feels larger than ours... Are you a new model...?”

I felt my eye twitch a little. Now, I'm not model thin (pun intended) by any means, but I am certainly not fat. Pudgy, yes, but definitely not fat. “Y-yes. A new model. Just a prototype, though. I think they were going for... more human movements, if I remember what they were talking about right.”

“You have a v-v-very familiar voice...” Chica added. “My da-ata banks reads your voice as similar to a 6-year old's na-a-amed Darlene.”

I let out a quiet gasp. _Would the old models recognize me if they saw me without the Annabelle costume? The possibility that my friends could probably be in those suits does help me think that'd be the case... Then again..._ “If Darlene was an adult and here right now, what would you do...?”

Chica stared at me for a second, old gears sounding like they could overheat at any moment. “...I'd pro-obably treat her like I-I-I would any adult, because adults should not be allowed here at n-n-n-night.”

As I'm busy trying to collect my thoughts after that response, Chica walked behind me and began to push me out the room. “But never m-mi-ind that, Anna, let's go and find that n-night guard!”

_Shit, what do I do now...?!_ As I'm brought into the hallway, I turn around to look at the robot chicken, whom was humming an old tune that sounded familiar to me but couldn't recall the name of the song. _Maybe I can at least stall a little?_ “Well, you won't be able to catch her if you're humming; she'll hear you and get away.”

“Really-ly...?”

I nod. “You... you need to be quiet, so she won't know you're there. Or she could be hiding somewhere. You need to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.” As I continue to tell her how to easily find me, I start to feel more and more calm, more and more confident.

“W-well, well, well... You don't see th-this every-ryday...” another robotic voice called out. “A newbie tea-eaching an oldie.” I looked to my left to see a faceless Bonnie walking over to the chicken and I.

“At least she g-gave me good advise!” Chica told the bunny as she walked over to him. As she passed him, a different voice came out of her. “ _I'm gonna go look for her over by the Main Stage and Kid's Cove. Catch ya later, James._ ”

_James...?_

“ _All right. I'll let you know if I find her here, Samantha._ ” Chica then left, leaving Bonnie with me.

“James...? Samantha...?” I finally asked, trying to sound as confused as possible.

“... _12 years ago, my friends and I were killed by a man in a Spring Bonnie suit,_ ” he explained to me. “ _Well, not_ all _my friends; one was able to escape, but she doesn't remember what happened. At least, we don't think she does..._ ”

“But I _do_ remember – !” I covered the mouth of the mask before I could blurt out any more. _Me and my big mouth!_ The withered Bonnie stared at me silently before walking up to me ominously, with me taking a step back each time he took a step forward until my back lay flat against the wall. His right hand reached out for the mask on my head when...

* _ding dong ding dong, ding dong ding dong_ *

It was 6 AM! I mentally sigh in relief as Bonnie steps back a bit.

“You got luc-lucky...” the robot spoke menacingly as he turned and headed back to the Parts and Services room. With adrenaline still coursing through my veins, I quickly took off the Annabelle suit and rushed over to the front door. I was about to open it when the door suddenly opened on it's own... Well, not really.

“Oh! Excuse me!” I jump back a bit, startled by the man in front of me as he entered and closed the door.

“Sheesh, what's the rush?” the man asked me, chuckling as he spoke.

“Sorry, I... I had a close night. James almost got me...”

“James...?”

My face heated up in embarrassment. “Did I say James? I meant the old Bonnie!” I shout, flustered. “James was an old friend of mine, and his favorite animatronic to hang out with was Bonnie!”

The man laughed a little louder. “Oh. That makes sense. How is your friend doing?”

That question made the adrenaline in me finally die down. Fuzzy memories came back, and I look down at me feet. “My... my friends are...”

The man seemed to get what I was trying to say. “Oh... Oh, I'm... so sorry...”

“It's okay. It happened over 12 years ago; I don't think there's much that can be done now.”

“12 years ago...?” he repeated, sounding a bit shocked. “May I have your name...?”

I look up at the man. Now that the adrenaline is gone, I can see him more clearly now. He was taller and looked older than me; at least 10 years older and at most... maybe 13. He had shoulder-length, dark purple hair that was tied in a rat tail, and his eyes were purple as well, but lighter, and had bags under them.

Now that I think about it, he looks familiar. Do I know him from somewhere...?

_I think I can trust him..._

“My name is Darlene. Why...?” I finally responded, and I watched his eyes grow wide as he stared at me silently. I waved my hand over his face. “Hello...? Is something the matter?”

“It _is_ you...”

“Hm? You know me...?”

He brought himself out of his trance and nodded. “Yeah, I do know you. Do _you_ recognize _me_?”

I stare at him, looking for anything that could trigger a memory. “I... I don't know... I feel like I might know you, but nothing's coming to mind.”

“There's no need to rush it,” the man walked over to me and place a hand on my shoulder. “You'll remember in due time, I'm sure. For now, you should head home; the place is about to open, and you'd better make sure you're ready for tonight.”

“You're right.” I smile at him, and I catch his cheeks turning pink. “I better get going, then! Take care of the animatronics, okay?”

“Of course I will! Have a good rest!” I wave good bye as I open the door and walk out.

As I'm walking home, the memory of that man blushing replays in my head, and it makes me grin like an idiot. While finding love isn't a necessity in my life, and I've always thought I'd live alone when I grew up, right now I'm thinking _Who knows?_ Now that I know someone actually seems to think I'm pretty, I feel like the chances of me actually finding someone I'll end up falling in love with have risen. _If I fall in love, great. If I don't, that'd be more than all right as well._ Feeling confidence well up inside me, I speed up my walking.

It was then that I begin to have another headache, a worse one at that. In my mind's eye, I see the ending of my most recent dream: my friends dead in the back room, and a golden Bonnie – 'Spring Bonnie' was what mom called it – holding a bloody knife. Not only that, I could also hear a voice...

“ _What's the matter, Darlene? Why are you running away? I only want to make you my eternal friend.”_

_...What was that...?_ _Why did that voice sound so familiar? It's been so long... I can't remember who had that voice..._

_...I can't be worrying about this right now; I gotta get home!_

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, Parts and Service Room~

Normal POV:

“ _Well, Bonnie? Chica?_ ” Ash's spirit in Freddy's suit asked his companions. “ _What'd you find out? Did you find Darlene?_ ”

Chica turned her head to Bonnie, whom responded, “ _Evan's actually right. Darlene is disguising herself as Annabelle. She claimed to remember what happened that day, and she backed away when I tried to remove her head._ ”

“... _All right. I'll go after her myself then..._ ” Freddy spoke to himself before a door in the back of the room opened.

“ _Hey, guys...?_ ” a boy-like voice came out of the dark room. “ _May I come out and meet her tonight, too...?_ ”

“ _Not yet, Trevor,_ ” Ash denied. “ _I think it might be too soon. Even though you're not in..._ that _costume... the golden color might trigger something._ ” A disappointed grunt was heard before the door closed.

Foxy then peeked through the slightly-open door that lead into the hallway and quickly turned to the others. “ _Someone's coming!_ ” Evan whisper-yelled. “ _Everybody shut down!_ ”

Just before the door opened all the way, all four animatronics fell onto the floor, and the purple-haired man entered the room, sighing happily.

“It's been a while since I had the chance to talk to you guys,” the man smirked as he sank down onto the floor, leaning his back against the closed door. He then turn to the faceless Bonnie. “I heard you almost had your friend last night, James. I'm surprised you guys are still able to move.”

No sounds. No movements. Nothing. But the man could tell the spirits were glaring at him. “Now, don't look at me like that. I only wanted to keep you all pure and innocent. Darlene too.” He sighed once again. “I can't believe it's really her. I still remember her as that pig-tailed, happy girl, and now she's a brave, beautiful, and yet still so innocent young woman. That smile she gave me earlier brightened up the entire place. Could this be what love feels like...?”

His own smile then slowly faded. “This does leave me feeling conflicted, however. I want her to stay as she is, without her losing her innocence and naivety, but at the same time... could it be possible for us to have a future together...? I wonder if she likes me back... What if she doesn't..?” He stood up and walked to the back of the room. “Well, if I want us to be together, I need to make sure they don't find out what happened yesterday morning, which means I should try to fix the Fredbear animatronic in case they find out about that room. If only I hadn't misplaced that Freddy costume I made myself...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this chapter finished earlier, but life got in the way. I have a feeling the upcoming uploads are gonna be sporadic like this, so I just wanted to warn you all about that.  
> I wasn't really sure how to have Darlene address Mangle in her POV. At first I tried mixing it up, but then I thought that it would make more sense for her to assume he was a girl based on her looks. I hope that's all right...


	6. Night 4

Darlene's POV:

Huh...? Where am I...? _I seem to be in a backroom of the first pizzeria... and the bodies of my old friends are here along with this lanky, black creature with a white mask that had red cheeks and purple tear-streaks._ Could that be the Puppet...?

“ _Don't worry... I shall give you the gift of life... You shall stay in these animatronics you've been stuffed into and haunt them until the killer is_ dead _.”_

_The Puppet places the animatronic heads onto the body-filled suits. He put Freddy's head onto Ash, Bonnie's on James, Chica's on Samantha's, and Foxy's on Evan's. All that left was Trevor, whom was stuffed into a golden suit that looked similar to Freddy's._

_I stand up and slowly walk up to Trevor's body. “Trevor...?” I couldn't help but speak, despite knowing I wouldn't get an answer. I reach out to touch him when a golden Freddy head zoomed toward me, causing me to wake up in my bed._

My heart was pounding, and my breathing was faster. To put it simply, that freaked me out. I check my clock. _10 PM..._ I stretched and yawned before slowly getting out of bed. _So now I know who's who. Maybe it's time I finally face them without my Annabelle costume. I'm sure they already know thanks to James. But what if they mistake me for the killer...? No, they wouldn't do that. The animatronics could try to kill me if I'm not in the suit, though. Yeah, it's best if I wear the Annabelle costume._

* _ring ring ring_ *

I grab my phone and answer. “Hello?”

“ _Hey, Darlene. I know you still have a couple hours before your shift starts, but I just wanted to call and see if you were up._ ”

It's the guy I bumped into this morning! Suddenly feeling chipper, I respond. “I just woke up a couple minutes ago, actually. Had a weird dream. I'll be there soon.”

“ _All right, then. I'll be waiting for you, darling._ ”

_Darling...?_ I honestly didn't know how to respond to that. This is the first time another person has called me a nickname. “Um... you don't have to wait. I've been fine the first three nights...”

“ _But it must be lonely, staying with animatronics for 6 full hours._ ”

“It's not too bad; being an introvert can be a blessing at times. It can be a curse, too, but it _can_ be a blessing.”

“ _You don't strike me as an introvert._ ”

“I was definitely more introverted when I was 6 up until I was around... 13-14, I think, when I began to talk to more people again. It might have something to do with... _the incident_.”

We continued to talk and catch up as if we were old friends until the clock struck 11. “ _Well, I shouldn't take anymore of your time. I'll see you there, darling Darlene._ ”

I felt myself immediately smile. “Okay. See you.” I ended the call and got dressed before leaving my room and entering the kitchen. Mom was eating some toast when she saw me come down the stairs.

“Who was _that_ you were talking to...?” Mom asked in a teasing manner.

_Oh no... Mom, no, please don't...!_

“It's nothing like that, mom,” I respond, feeling my cheeks warm up a little. “It was just a fellow employee.”

“He sounds _very_ nice...” Mom winked, and I rolled my eyes, and I was about to leave when she changed the subject. “Have you... heard anything on the murders of your friends...?”

I stopped and turned back, sitting at the table next to mom. “My friends are stuffed in the old animatronics. I got to talk to Evan, James, and Samantha the past couple nights.”

“Any signs of the killer? I'm positive he's still out there.”

“He is.” I tell my mother of the 5 kids that had birthdays this week and had gotten killed yesterday.

“That's terrible!” My mom hugged me.

“One of them told me she thought she saw a man wearing either a Freddy or Bonnie mask, so it sounds like it's the same guy.”

“Are you sure you want to continue working this job...?”

I hugged mom back. “Thanks for your concern, but I'll be fine. I want to find out who would do something so despicable like this.” I stand up and head to the front door. “I'm gonna head out now. I'll be sure to be back shortly after 6, I promise.”

“Stay safe, honey.”

“I will!”

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, 11:30 PM~

I get there earlier than I expected to, so I decide to take a quick look around the place before I have to stay (or at least attempt to stay) in the office. I put on my Annabelle suit in case time gets away from me again and walked into the main area.

_Okay. So my friends are in the old animatronics. I just don't know who Trevor is in. Maxine is in Mangle; she had the cookie I gave her the other day. Then there was Crystal._ I walk closer to the stage to get a closer look at Toy Freddy, Bonnie and Chica. _She must be in Toy Chica. That leaves Drake, Seth, and Bill. Well, Bill was the youngest of the five. I wonder if he's Balloon Boy. Then Drake... hm... would he be Toy Freddy? And Seth is Toy Bonnie?_

_What about the Puppet?_ I walk over to the Prize Corner and stare at the large present. I... honestly think the Puppet could be Scott... It would make sense, since the Puppet was the one to help my friends possess the animatronics, and Scott was killed first. _Is that everyone...? I think it is..._

I walk over to the Parts and Service room, planning on seeing if I can talk to my old friends, when I start to hear a voice coming from said room. “ _It seems like my objective has changed; I want to keep her all to myself now. I'm sure you all won't mind, will you? At least she can continue to live her innocent life._ ”

_That deep voice... Could it be the killer?!_ Without thinking things through, I rush over to the door and open it. “...O-oh...”

“Darlene!” The man that I was just recently talking to on the phone steps out of the room, leaving the door wide open. “You're here earlier than I expected you to be!”

“W-were you talking in there just now...?” I asked him. His voice isn't as deep as the voice I heard in the room, but it looked like he was the only one in the room. And it couldn't have been my friends, for obvious reasons.

“I mean, I _was_ humming as I was checking for any broken parts on the old animatronics, but I wasn't talking out loud.”

Really...? Was it just my imagination? I shivered a bit. “I... I could've sworn I heard...”

He took off the Annabelle head and placed a finger on my lips. “You're just nervous. I'm sure of it. Here, I'll help you get settled in the office.” He then took my hand and lead me down the hallway. “By the way, what are you wearing exactly?”

“Oh, this?” I looked down at the suit I was wearing. “Well, on my first day, I found a Freddy costume in the back of the office, so I decided to, well, customize it a bit. Now I disguise myself as Annabelle when the animatronics come around.”

“Ah...” the purple-haired man responded as if he realized something. “So _that's_ what happened to it.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing important.”

I stare at him, feeling confused, as we enter the office, and because I wasn't looking where I was going, I trip over my feet, and I fall forward, feeling a sharp pain on my arm. “OW! Ow...”

The man helps me up, and I hold out my arm to look at it. There was a small tear in the costume and a not-so-small cut in my skin. “I must've got myself on the desk corner...”

“Just a sec...” He starts opening and closing drawers in the desk until he pulls out a first-aid kit. He takes out a roll of bandages and some disinfectant, and he turns to me. “This is going to sting a little. Can you take the suit off?”

“Okay...” I pull off the costume, and he dabs the disinfectant on my cut, and I inhale sharply in pain, only breathing out when he finishes. As he began to bandage my cut, I suddenly recall a moment back when I was four or five...

  
  


“ _Ouch!”_

“ _Oh? What's the matter, little girl...?”_

“ _I... I got myself on the table... It hurts!”_

“ _Don't you worry; luckily for you, I happen to have bandages on me. I'll help you feel all better.”_

“ _Really?”_

“ _Yup. Here we go... There!”_

“ _Thank you so much, mister...?”_

“ _Derek. Derek Montgomery.”_

“ _Thank you so much, Derek! I feel a lot better now! I think I like you!”_

“ _R-really...? You... you like me...?”_

“ _Of course! You helped me! I'm Darlene! I hope we can be friends!”_

“ _Okay... I think I like you too, Darlene...”_

  
  


This is the same guy that I would play around with when I was little... I remember his hair being a brighter purple and having no bags under his eyes, but it could be from age.

As he finished wrapping the bandage on my arm and began sewing the suit back together, I smile and thank him. “Thank you, Derek... for everything...”

It was Derek's turn to stare at me wide eyes. “You... you remembered my name...!” He embraced me. “You finally remember me!”

I was floating. I feel so happy all of a sudden. He then lets go and continues to sew up the tear in my suit. “There. All fixed up and good as new.”

I take the suit and put it back on. “This takes me back. I remember always wanting to be like my dad and wear a suit, but then he died from 'mysterious circumstances', as my mother told me.” I jumped excitedly. “I feel like an innocent and carefree little kid again!”

Derek gently placed a hand on my left cheek and smiled. “You're definitely still innocent and carefree, but you're no longer a child...”

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and I looked away, suddenly feeling flustered. _Oh, quit being dramatic, Darlene; he's only complimenting you._

“Well,” Derek spoke while chuckling, “I better get going; it's almost midnight.” Derek hugged me again and waved goodbye, leaving the building in my hands.

~12 AM~

* _ring ring ring_ *

“Yello?”

“ _Hello? Hello? Uh, hey there, night four! I told you you'd get the hang of it!_ ”

“Thanks!” I responded to the recording.

“ _Okay, so, uh, just to update you, uh, there's been somewhat of an, uh, investigation going on. Uh, we may end up having to close for a few days... I don't know. I want to emphasize though that it's really just a precaution. Fasbear Entertainment denies any wrong doing. These things happen sometimes. Um... It'll all get sorted out in a few days. Just keep an eye on things, and I'll keep you posted._ ”

I sigh; I really didn't need the reminder of the deaths of those poor kids... Who did this to them? If I were to find out who'd do this to children, I'd...

_I'd probably die too, especially if he found out I was the one that got away 12 years ago. Get a hold of yourself, Darlene; you're no superhero._

Still, that begs the question: _Who did I hear in the Parts and Service room earlier?_ It couldn't have been my imagination. If I remember right, he said something about wanting to 'keep someone all to himself...' Does he have a new target? Is he going to kidnap her?

“ _I mean, I_ was _humming as I was checking for any broken parts on the old animatronics, but I wasn't talking out loud.”_

Was it really just my imagination playing tricks on me...? But it sounded too real to be imaginary... Should I get myself checked out...?

“ _Uh, just as a sidenote, though, try to avoid eye contact with any of the animatronics tonight if you can. Someone may have tampered with their facial recognition systems – we're not sure. But the characters have been acting very unusual, almost aggressive towards the staff. They interact with the kids just fine, but when they encounter an adult, they just... stare... Uh... anyways, hang tight. It'll all pass. Goodnight!”_

I gulp; I was planning on showing myself to my old friends, but what if the new ones find me first...?

I suddenly heard movement, and I put on the Annabelle mask out of habit after winding the music box. I flicked on the flashlight to see the original Freddy Fasbear in the hallway. I take a deep breath. _This is it. Here I go..._ I get up from my seat and walk over to Freddy.

“Annabelle, I-I've been looking f-f-for you,” Freddy spoke robotically to me.

“Likewise,” I reply. “There's actually something I want to tell you.” I remove the Annabelle head and smile despite the fear that suddenly coursed through me. “Hey, Ash. It's me, Darlene. I'm... I'm here to help you.”

Freddy froze, his eyes turning black. “What _did you call me?!_ ”

_That's definitely Ash's voice..._

“I know it's you, Ash.” I walk closer to the robot bear and hug him. “And I want to apologize for hiding from you all for so long; I was told you'd kill me if you saw me.”

I felt a hand on my right shoulder. “ _I know it's you, Darlene. I..._ we _... saw that man take your mask off. The actual animatronics were in sleep mode, so we don't think they saw._ ”

I could feel happy tears forming in my eyes. “I'm so glad to finally talk to you all again.”

The Parts and Services door opens, and the other three old robots come out to see me and Freddy. “Guys!” I hold my arms out as they run up to me and hug me. Tightly. “U-um... Guys... Can't... breathe...”

“ _Oh! Sorry!_ ” Samantha apologizes as they all step back from me, allowing me to breathe.

I take off the Annabelle costume and throw it over my shoulder. “Phew. It's nice to not have to wear this for once. I like it, but man it can get stuffy in there.” I then look at my friends and notice something's missing – or rather someone. “Hey, where's Trevor?”

The four glance at each other, then over at the main dining area. Then they turned back to me, and Evan replied. “ _We're... not sure if he can come out; the killer had to use the suit he was stuffed in to kill the others._ ”

“Gross!” I could feel something come up my throat, but I swallow it down. “He's _that_ desperate to get his kicks or something?”

“ _Even if he hadn't used the suit,_ ” Ash added, “ _The suit itself might... scare you..._ ”

I was about to ask what made them think that way, but then I recalled the golden bunny suit. _Right. That's why_.

Bonnie then looked at Freddy, and James asked Ash. “ _Should we tell her?_ ”

“ _We should get the others, as well,_ ” Evan said, walking over to the main stage. I followed the rest of them, and the robot fox asked me. “ _Could you get Mangle for us?_ ”

I nod and go get Mangle. With all 10 of us in the main dining hall (excluding Trevor and the Puppet, whom was sound asleep in the gift box), Ash asked the new animatronics, “ _Have you noticed anything..._ odd _about the man you played with the other day?_ ”

The toys looked at each other. “...No. Not really...” Drake's voice came out of Toy Freddy.

“ _I saw a silhouette of a Freddy or Bonnie suit,_ ” Maxine told them what she told me. “ _It could've been that same man, but I'm not completely sure._ ”

“ _It couldn't have!_ ” Toy Chica – Crystal – interjected. “ _He wanted to play with us! Give you a nice birthday party! It must've been someone that was already inside!_ ”

“ _Darlene...?_ ” The toys looked at me after Seth spoke up.

“I had already left by that point!” I shout, offended that they'd accuse me. “I didn't know what happened until that night!”

“ _Maybe one of the animatronics went rogue...?_ ” Billy asked.

“The animatronics are meant to entertain children,” I reply, “Not kill them...”

“ _Maybe someone somehow changed it's intent...?_ ” Maxine suggested.

“How would they be able to do that?”

All the robots looked at each other. As I expected, no one knew how someone could do that.

Bonnie then looked at me. “ _What about you, Darlene? Do you remember who tried to kill you?_ ”

I shook my head. “No. All I remember is he wore a Spring Bonnie suit. I don't remember what he actually looked like. What about you? Do you remember?”

“ _No. All we can see is a silhouette in the Parts and Services room,_ ” Ash told me. “ _That man that helped you earlier, Darlene, we don't think you should trust him._ ”

“What?!” I did a double take at my old friends. “It can't be him! I'm sure I heard the killer! His voice was deeper than Derek's! Are you sure there wasn't anyone else other than him?”

“ _We're positive he was the only one in there._ ”

_But it couldn't have been Derek. He said he was humming..._ “Maybe it was another spirit... Maybe Derek heard it too and was ignoring it...”

“ _Darlene... Are you and Derek dating...?_ ” Samantha asked me.

“...No... Why do you ask?”

“ _It kinda seems like you, well... you_ like _him..._ ”

“I mean... I _do_ like him; he's an old friend of – oh. Oh, no no no!” I shook my head, chuckling a bit. “It's not like that. We're just friends. That's it.” I think he might like me that way, but I don't know how I myself feel yet.

For now, we're just friends...

“ _Darlene and Derek sittin' in a tree._ ” Billy sang. “ _K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_ ”

“Shut up, Billy!”

Everyone else laughed at my embarrassed reaction. I tried to stay frowning, but it slowly curled into a smile; it's comforting to know they're still kids at heart.

I check the time. 5:40 AM. “I better get back to the office; it's almost 6...”

“ _All right. Just promise us, Darlene,_ ” Evan placed a hook on my shoulder. “ _Be careful who you hang out with..._ ”

“Of course.” I nod before turning around and walking back to the office.

~6 AM~

After turning the music box for 20 minutes, I clocked out and walked out the front door. I debated on waiting for Derek to come around, but I thought against it. I ran home, feeling so happy and free. I then saw someone walking toward me, and I couldn't slow down in time, resulting in me bumping into him and falling on top of him.

“Aw, Darlene, I didn't know you felt that way about me.”

I gasp and get off him, stuttering. “Sorry! I didn't mean to!” I help Derek get up, and he burst out laughing.

“I was only joking, dear.” He then embraced me. “Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't find you cute. No hard feelings, right?”

“N-no. None at all. Don't worry.” I hugged him back, causing him to tighten his grip. _Okay, yeah, Derek likes me. But do I like him...? He's a good friend, yes, but I don't think I like him romantically. At least, not yet..._

I unwrapped my arms and placed my hands on his chest, trying to gently pry myself away from him. He wouldn't budge, though. Suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable, I push a little harder while telling my friend, “I... I need to go home. Gotta get a good amount of sleep for tonight.”

“Oh! Right! S-sorry...” Derek finally let go, and I ran home, my happy mood soured a bit.

~Darlene's Room~

After greeting my mother and chatting over some breakfast, I closed the door to my room, put my pajamas on, and laid down on my bed. I could still feel his arms wrapped around me, and while it did make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, it also made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Then again, I never really cared for someone touching me for a prolonged period of time.

_What am I feeling for Derek, exactly? Is this love? Or just a simple crush, just an attraction?_ I tried imagining Derek and I living together, going on a date, kissing...

_Ugh, I can feel my heartbeat in my ears again!_ I covered my head with my pillow and forced myself to go to sleep, Derek still invading my thoughts.


	7. Night 5

Darlene's POV:

“ _Freddy... Freddy...”_

Huh...? _I open my eyes to see the Parts and Service room from the pizzeria I now work at. I lift up my hand... wait, that's_ Freddy's _hand! What's going on?_

I must be dreaming again...

“ _Ugh,_ Ash _! Get up! Please!”_

“ _W-what's going on...?” Ash's voice came out as I spoke._

“ _There's no time to explain! Save them!_ Save them _!”_

_The Puppet grabbed my hand and raced over to several places within the building, picking up the bodies of the kids that would talk to me before and after my shift._

“ _You have to help me transfer their souls into the toy animatronics! They're just like us! They'll help us with our revenge!”_

_Choosing not to question it, I threw one body over my shoulder and held two more as the Puppet picked up the final two, and we ran to the other side of the building to the main stage. Puppet places Drake's body by Toy Freddy and Crystal's by Toy Chica. He then takes Seth's body off my shoulder and places him by Toy Bonnie._

_We then turn to go to BB and Mangle, and I see a silhouette of a man in a purple night guard outfit. He was holding something, but I couldn't tell what._

“ _Hurry!” I hear the Puppet repeat, but the person starts making a beeline towards me._

“ _Puppet, wait!” I call out. “Take the kids! Save them!” I tried to dodge the man, but he taps the object he was holding on me, and I suddenly can't move, an electric shock coursing through my body. Before I eventually blacked out, I heard a deep voice..._

“You can't _...”_

  
  


I sat up in my bed, breathing heavily like I had a nightmare. That voice I heard... _It's the same as the voice I heard when walking by the Parts and Service room! I didn't just imagine it!_ But who was it...?

_I shouldn't think about it too much; I got a pizzeria to go to._

I got dressed and walked downstairs to the kitchen... only to hear my mother talking to and laughing along with someone. I ran into the room to see Derek sitting at my table, eating dinner with my mother! _What... How... Why?!_

Derek noticed me at the doorway and waved. “You're awake! Good evening, Darlene!”

“How... how did you find out where I live?!” I asked in shock.

“Looked through employee records and found yours,” he replied like it was the most normal thing in the world for coworkers to do. “I wanted to take you to work tonight.”

_That's... really sweet of him, actually... No, what am I thinking?! This is downright creepy!_

Mom giggled. “I'm so glad you've got a nice coworker showing you the ropes of the place. I wouldn't be surprised if he started coming around here more often.”

 _Mom..._ I whined internally, my face heating up fast.

“It's not like that,” my coworker replied, his own cheeks becoming red. “Not yet...”

“Seriously?” I ask him incredulously, “You're, like, 10 to 15 years older than me!”

“Oh, there's nothing wrong with a little age gap. Just as long as both parties are of age and consenting, I won't judge,” mom told me.

Derek stood up from his seat and puts his arm around me. “Who knows. Something might happen later on...” He looked at me expectantly, and I smile uncomfortably. “Well, we should be heading to Freddy Fasbear's. I'll drive you there.”

“Oh, um... okay... But... could you please let go? I don't like being close to someone else for a long period of time...”

He lets go and steps back. “Oh, sure. Sorry. Didn't realize I was in your personal space.” He sighs. “I do that a lot...”

“No harm done; you didn't know.”

“But I should've known; you told me you were an introvert!”

Mom just smiled at us as she picked up the empty plates and place them in the sink. “You two should probably get going now. Have fun, and be responsible!”

“MOM!”

“Kidding! Kidding...”

~Freddy's Fasbear's Pizza, 12 AM~

“You good to go?”

“I think so. Thank you for the ride, Derek. I appreciate it.”

“No problem at all! See you at six, babe,” Derek said, winking at me as he walked outside. After closing and locking the front door, I enter the office, and I slump in my chair and bury my burning face in my hands. I don't know how I feel about him! On one hand, he's really sweet and nice and caring, but on the other, he seems to be very... touchy-feely... and he sees no problem in inviting himself in my home. Yes, we're friends, but I don't think we're close enough to do _that_.

It seems like he's very... obsessive...

* _ring ring ring_ *

I pick up the phone, trying to distract myself from the weird thoughts in my head.

“ _Hello, hello? Hey, good job, night 5! Um, hey, um, keep a close eye on things tonight, okay?_ ”

Hm? Why's that? What's going on...?

“ _Um, from what I understand, the building is on lock down. Uh, no one is allowed in or out, y'know, especially concerning any... previous employees. Um, when we get it all sorted out, we may have to move you to the day shift; a position just became...available..._ ”

Did they catch the killer?! If they did, that's great! My problems are over! I can continue this job without a care. I can talk to my friends again if they decide to stay instead of ascending to Heaven. I can live together with Derek...

_Wait, what was that last one, Darlene?_

“ _Uh, we don't have a replacement for your shift yet, vet we're working on it. Uh, we're going to try to contact the original restaurant owner. Uh, I think the name of the place was... 'Fredbear's Family Diner' or something like that. It's been closed for years, though. I don't think we'll be able to track anybody down. Well, just get through one more night! Uh, hang in there! Good night!_ ”

 _Fredbear's Family Diner..._ I recall the first dream I had, the one where Scott was killed. I sigh, wanting this night to be over already.

One hour passed... I was in the hallway, looking through the drawings posted on the walls, when I come across a familiar one. A drawing of a female Balloon Boy in blue and purple clothes, juggling red, blue, and yellow balls.

 _That's my drawing. They kept it._ Back at the previous location, none of the kids really liked Balloon Boy, even my old friends. They all found him annoying. I, on the other hand, considered the boy animatronic a friend. I always talked to him, assuming he was listening to me, about everything that I did since we last met. I remember drawing this picture because I wanted Balloon Boy to not be alone when I was gone. I wanted there to be some sort of Balloon Girl. What did I call her again...? Juggling Julie! That's what I called her!

Feeling inspired, I ran back to the office and redrew the original character I had made when I was four. As soon as I was finished, I suddenly heard a voice.

“ _Darlene..._ ”

 _Huh...? Who was that...?_ I look around the office for the source of the voice.

“ _Down here!_ ”

I look under the desk to see a transparent blue and purple Balloon Boy...

“Juggling Julie...?” I ask, not able to believe what I was seeing.

Julie giggled. “ _Call me JJ!_ ” She get out from under the desk and hugged me. “ _I finally get to see you again, though I'm not able to completely reunite with you yet..._ ”

“Huh...? What are you talking about...?”

“ _I'm you, Darlene. I'm who you were when you were a child. I'm what you lost 12 years ago. I can't reunite with you yet because you could end up with permanent damages, but if you're able to remember bit by bit, maybe soon you will be able to remember everything once again..._ ”

I get down on my knees and return JJ's hug. I'll remember what happened one day, and when that day comes, maybe I'll be able to make sure the killer stays behind bars.

When I let go, JJ had disappeared. Did I just imagine her...? Was she jut an illusion...? Or maybe she's just a ghost that can disappear. _Duh._

I check the music box, only to see it was almost done. I wound it back up out of habit, and I left the office to check the Parts and Service room, wanting to check on my old friends, only to see just a purple Freddy suit inside.

That's odd. I never knew there was a purple Freddy... Something about its slumped pose felt familiar to me, and curiosity got the better of me. I know the saying 'curiosity killed the cat', but I guess I'm still that curious 6-year old at heart.

I walked closer to it, my right reaching out to touch him, and all of a sudden, white dots appeared in the suit's eye sockets, locked onto my eyes, startling me. I watched it get up onto its feet, and it was then that I realized I was in danger. I turned to run, but my curiosity was my undoing, and the costume quickly grabbed me and prevented me from getting away.

“Ack! No! Let me go!” I yell, flailing my legs and grabbing the arm around my stomach.

“ _Never!_ ” the Shadow Freddy growled. “ _I'll never forgive you! You let my son die!_ ”

 _His son...? What...?_ My head begins to hurt. Badly. Despite the pain, I struggle harder, desperate to break free.

“ _Darlene! Over here!_ ” I hear a familiar male voice call out to me.

“Easier said than done!” I shout back, but I finally managed to kick the bear's legs, making it double over, and I ran back to the office.

“ _GET BACK HERE!!_ ” the Shadow Freddy bellowed, but I kept running. I got back into the office, and I put on my Annabelle costume. The suit entered the office and stopped in its tracks once it saw me in the suit. “ _I'm not stupid,_ ” the suit scoffed. “ _That shit won't work on me._ ”

It walked closer to me, and then something stood in front of me. Something completely black... I look up at the head to see bunny ears.

“ _Don't you dare!_ ” the Shadow Bonnie told the Shadow Freddy. “ _My daughter was your son's best friend. You know that!_ ”

“ _If she really was, why did she leave her friends to die?!_ ”

“ _She was_ six _! She was just a child; what could she have done!_ ”

I was overwhelmed by everything that was being said. What was going on...?

Wait... Did Shadow Bonnie call me 'his daughter...?' I was about to question it when I hear faint music that was getting louder... 'Pop Goes the Weasel'...

_The Puppet! Scott!_

As soon as I realized that, the lanky, black creature entered the hallway and tackled the purple Freddy suit. I then turned to Shadow Bonnie and asked. “...Father...?”

“ _You've grown up so much..._ ”

“What happened? Mom said you died of 'mysterious circumstances?'”

“ _Just a freak accident,_ ” dad replied. “ _Both Evan's father and I ended up activating the springlocks by accident._ ”

“'Springlocks'...? What are springlocks?”

“ _Okay, okay! I'm leaving! God...!_ ”

We see Shadow Freddy leave, and the Puppet turned to me. I walk up to him and hugged him quickly. “Thank you so much, Scott...”

“ _You were a friend to the others,_ ” he responded, “ _It's the least I could do..._ ”

“Why did Evan's father think I... I was responsible for his death...?”

“ _He was always the type of person that would look for something or someone to blame._ ”

“Why not blame the killer, then?!”

“ _We don't know who did it._ ”

“It's easier to blame someone you know?”

“ _Something like that._ ”

I try to hug the black bunny only for my arms to go right through him. “I'm glad I got some closure on _some_ thing. I love you, dad.”

“ _I love you too, sweetheart. I always will._ ” He paused before asking. “ _...You're not seeing anyone yet, are you?_ ”

“No, dad,” I sigh, “But even if I was, I'm an adult now. I can make my own decisions.”

“ _It might be better for you to find someone older. Someone who has a stable job in case you can't find one yourself._ ”

“Dad...”

“ _Someone who can make you happy, who'll love you forever and ever..._ ”

“Dad, what did I _just_ tell you?!”

“ _Okay. Okay. Just promise me to be careful with the people you trust and to not believe everything you see or hear._ ”

“ _Promise me that, too?_ ” Scott added. “ _Someone could betray you at any given moment._ ”

I look at Shadow Bonnie and then at the Puppet, feeling a little confused, but I nod. I waved goodbye as the two left. It felt like they were trying to warn me about something. I remember dad always telling me to 'trust my gut' when he was still alive, and my gut's telling me something's wrong.

The problem is I don't know _what_ is wrong...

~6 AM~

After that little incident, everything was pretty calm. I checked the security cameras and watched as the Puppet talked to the withered animatronics and then the toys. There were no signs that Evan's or my father's spirits were even here. I couldn't find JJ either. The clock strikes six, and I stretch after talking off my Annabelle costume.

I enter the hallway when I heard a robotic voice. “Yar har har! If it i-i-isn't the princess of the night herself! Con-congrats on making it to 6 AM!”

 _Foxy!_ I speed-walked over to Parts and Service room. They all looked excited to see me.

“ _We've been talking for a while..._ ” Scott explained. “ _and we all want to play a little game with you tomorrow night. You stay in the office, and we'll come to you, attempting to jumpscare you unless you're wearing the Annabelle suit. If you make it without anyone jumpscaring you, you win. If we do end up jumpscaring you, the robot with the most points at the end of the night wins._ ”

I beamed; that sounds like so much fun, and I'll be able to play with my friends again! But then I remembered the recording I listened to earlier, and my grin slowly turns into a frown.

“I... I'm sorry. The game sounds like so much fun. It really does,” I assure them. “But with the investigation on the deaths of them...” I gesture to the toy animatronics. “I don't think I'll be able to come in tomorrow night.”

“I think I can help with that.”

I turn around to spot Derek standing right behind me, inside the door frame.

“How'd you get in here?!” I asked, startled. “I locked the front door!”

“I have my ways,” he replied. “Anyways, I can help you play your little game with your new friends.”

“And how can you do that?” I questioned him.

“Like I said, I have my ways.” He held up a set of keys and spun them around his finger, smirking.

I guess it's time for the big question: _Can I trust him?_ I closed my eyes and played back all my memories with him in my mind. After giving it a lot of thought, I reopened my eyes and spoke. “If you can, and it's no trouble on your part, then I don't see why not. Thank you so much.”

“I told you, Darlene, nothing's trouble if it's for you.” The smile he flashed at me made me feel really giddy. The animatronics, however, didn't speak. There was no noise at all coming from them. I could feel their eyes on me, though, making me feel a little apprehensive.

Derek took my hand and pulled me a little closer to him. “Don't worry about them; I never got along well with them, anyway. Let me take you back home, okay...?”

“Sure. I'd love to spend some more time with an old friend,” I tell him. “We can catch up some more.” After waving goodbye to the animatronics, Derek and I left the pizzeria, and got in his car.

As I buckled my seat belt in, I glance at a stack of CDs and asked him. “Would you mind if I looked through those?”

“Be my guest.” I grabbed the stack and skimmed through his CDs until I come across one in the middle of the stack.

“'Fasbear Songs Volume 2?! I never even knew there was a volume 1!”

“Oh yeah, Fasbear Entertainment started releasing the songs not too long ago. Wanna listen to it?”

“Sure. I'd like to listen to your favorite song.”

Derek started the car before taking the CD and sliding it inside the player, skipping to track 11. I flipped to the back of the case to check the name of the song. _Just Gold..._

The song started playing, and... it had a good beat. “Like it?” he asked me as he placed the car in reverse. I nodded happily. “That's good. Wouldn't want to put on a song you didn't really care for..."

As we drove away from work, I decide to ask Derek something. “How are you able to do all this? Looking through employee records and having a spare set of keys?”

“No one really questions it since I'm the son of the old manager of Fasbear Entertainment. They probably assume I want to follow in my father's footsteps, which... isn't wrong, actually...”

“Your father worked there, too?”

He nodded. “If I remember correctly, your father worked under him when he was alive.”

_Father..._

“I wonder how my parents are doing right now. Last I knew of them, my brother told me they moved to the other side of the country, leaving the both of us to fend for ourselves.”

I still couldn't believe I got a chance to talk to my father again. Hell, I can't even believe I got to talk to my childhood friends again.

“Well, it's not like we weren't prepared; my brother and I were working at the old Freddy's at the time.”

Ash, James, Samantha, Evan, and Trevor... they're all the same kids they were 12 years ago...

Wait a minute...

“Trevor!” I blurt out suddenly. “I haven't seen Trevor yet!

“ _The suit itself might... scare you...”_

I don't care anymore; I want to talk to him again...

“Maybe you'll see him again tomorrow night,” he responded, humming to the song.

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

_Wait, how does he know what I'm talking about... Maybe mom told him about it. Yeah, that's probably what happened._

“ _You may say that it's all in your mind,_ ” Derek suddenly began to sing. “ _But in the end, I think that you will fi-ind_

_You are the main attraction._

_Your story must be told._

_You are a chain reaction_

_that never gets old._

_Some bots get satisfaction_

_breaking the mold._

_Some bots are just distractions._

_Some bots are just gold._ ”

I never knew he was such a good singer. It made me want to sing along with him.

“ _You are the main attraction._

_Your story must be told._

_You are a chain reaction_

_that never gets old._

_Some bots get satisfaction_

_breaking the mold._

_Some bots are just distractions._

_Some bots are just gold._ ”

“You have a beautiful singing voice,” Derek complimented me.

“So do you.” I grin at him. He really is a great guy! Making sure I'm okay... Finding out my phone number so he can check on me... Looking through employee records to find out where I live...

“ _Be careful with the people you trust...”_

“ _Someone could betray you at any given moment...”_

Since when have I become so trusting of him...? Some of the things he's done is questionable in my eyes.

...What if he's not what he seems...? What if he didn't look through employee records and instead followed me home one time...?

“Aaand we're home!” Derek says as he parks in my mother's driveway.

I unbuckle my seat belt and get out. I walk over to his side of the car, and he rolls down his window. “Thank you so much, Derek,” I thank him once again, trying my best to mask my uncomfortable feeling. “How can I ever repay you for everything you've done for me?”

Derek grinned, and I took notice of how his purple eyes seemed to darken a little. “Just continue being yourself, darling. My days have been brighter ever since I reunited with you.”

I waved goodbye as he drove away, back to Freddy Fasbear's. I wanted to believe he meant what he said. After the car had driven out of sight, I entered my home and told mom I had to work overtime tonight.


	8. Night 6

Darlene's POV:

I woke up from a good night's sleep, having had no dreams that night. I get out of bed, stretch, and get dressed before exiting my room. That's when I hear my mother call out for me. “Darlene! You're boyfriend's here to get you!”

“He's not my boyfriend, mom!” I yell back, frustrated. Right after I said that, I began to feel guilty, like I was trying to hide something from her.

_Have I actually developed a crush on Derek...?_ The more I thought about it as I slowly walked down the stairs, the more I realized how much Derek has occupied my thoughts these past few nights, how fast my heart raced whenever I was around him.

_I think I love him... I think I want to be with him..._

“Darlene...? You okay, sweetie...?”

“Oh! Yeah! I'm fine! Just lost in thought.” I call out to mom, and I continue down the stairs to see Derek... wearing a purple version of the night guard uniform. I recall the dream I had the night before, of the silhouette man wearing the purple uniform.

_Could that be a manager uniform...? Does that mean the killer is a manager...?_

“Something the matter, darling?” Derek asked me, walking over to me and grabbing my hands.

I shook my head. “I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind, is all...”

“You know,” mom spoke up. “If you don't want to do this, just tell him. I'm sure he'll understand.”

I look at mom and smile. “Thank you for your concern, mom, but I'm going to do this. I want to. I'll be back after 6, as usual.” I turn back to Derek and tell him. “I'm ready. Let's go.”

Derek smiled at me, the same smile he gave me before he had left earlier. He suddenly looked so handsome in my eyes. The two of us walked out the front door, and he drove me to work.

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, 11:30 PM~

Derek unlocked the door and held it open for me. “After you, my lady. I'll be right here in case something goes wrong.” I nod at him in acknowledgment, and I enter the pizzeria, my crush closing and locking the door behind me.

It was dark, so dark I had to feel my way to the hallway, where I saw light coming from the office. I enter it only to get the attention of an older, ginger-haired man that was already sitting at the desk.

“Hello?”

“H-hi... I'm –”

“What on earth are you doing here?! Uh, didn't you get the memo? Uh, the place is closed down... at least for a while...” I open my mouth to explain, but he continued. “Someone used one of the suits. We had a spare in the back, a yellow one.”

“ _The killer had to use the suit Trevor was stuffed in to kill the others.”_

“Someone used it... Now none of 'em are acting right.”

“Do you know who did it...?” I asked the frazzled man.

He shook his head. “We're suspecting it was the old manager. Anyways, listen, just stay here and help me finish the shift; it's safer than trying to leave in the middle of the night.” I nod and walk over to him. “Uh, we have one more event scheduled for tomorrow, a birthday. You'll be on day shift. Wear your uniform, stay close to the animatronics, make sure they don't hurt anyone, okay?” I nod again. “Uh, when the place eventually opens again, I'll probably take the night shift myself.”

I find the Annabelle suit and begin putting it on. “I'm hear because I promised my friends I'd play a game with them.”

“You're friends?” the man questioned as he pulls out a spare Freddy mask, and I proceed to explain to him about the spirits in the animatronics and my relation to them. “Ah, I see. So you had an advantage in knowing who's who.”

I chuckle. “When I first started, I had no idea who was who. It was just about finding a good job with a good pay at first, but when I did start figuring things out, it because so much more. If I had known they were really my old friends, I wouldn't have gone the extra mile and customized that Freddy suit I found on the first day.”

“Freddy suit? What Freddy suit?”

“This.” I placed the Annabelle mask on my head and spun around, showing off my handiwork.

“That's... um, that's odd.”

“What is.”

“All the suits are filled with robotic parts that keep them in place on the endoskeletons. We never made just a suit.”

_...What...? Then who made this...?_ Then it hit me. _The killer was planning on wearing this, but then I found it and made it my own, forcing him to change tactics..._

_Did... did I help catch the killer?!_

“Um, anyway, my name is Christopher Anderson. It's nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I'm Darlene.”

“How were you able to get in, anyway? I locked the doors.”

“Um...” I should probably tell the truth... “Derek let me in. He also knows of my friends and the game they wanted to play with me.”

“Ugh...” Chris groaned. “Derek and I, um, don't get along all that well. Especially now that he's been given the new manager position today. He's always, uh, acting really... weird, I guess. I don't know what it is about him, but I just find him really odd.”

“There's nothing wrong with being odd...” I mumble under my breath, hoping he wouldn't hear me. He did.

“You like him?” Hesitantly, I nod. “I hate to say this, um, but I don't think you should trust him too much.”

_Too late..._ I was about to respond when the clock struck 12. The game was about to begin. Hopefully I'll be able to see Trevor this time...

I open the monitor to wind up the music box when I see Freddy enter the office. I put the Annabelle head on, and Chris follows with the Freddy mask.

“ _Hold up! Hold up! Time out!_ ” Ash called out to everyone.

“ _We don't have all night, Ash!_ ” I heard an impatient Evan shout back.

“ _Darlene, who is this with you?_ ” Ash asked me, shocking the man beside me.

“This is a co-worker, Christopher,” I answer. “He didn't know of our plans for tonight, and he was going to start taking on the night shift himself.”

“You... you... you really _can_ communicate with them!” Chris exclaimed, still in shock. “They trust you...”

Freddy looked at the older man. “ _...I guess he doesn't look like a threat..._ ”

“Wha?! Hey!”

I let out a little giggle, and Freddy leans closer to me and whispers. “ _Believe me when I say Christopher would make a better partner for you._ ”

My face felt like it was on fire, and as the old bear robot left, I snap, “Why are you all against Derek?!”

I crossed my arms and grumbled a little before Chris chuckled, getting my attention. “Well, I'm glad you don't think of me that way; I'm already happily married, and my wife's finally expecting a child.”

“Oh, congratulations! I'm sorry you had to see that...”

“No offense taken. No worries,” he assures me, patting me on the back. “You really like Derek, don't you?”

“I think it might be love at first sight...” I try to explain. “I bumped into him after my shift on Wednesday, and ever since then, he's always found his way into my thoughts...”

“Well, if you ask me...” Chris rested his chin on his left hand. “I think Derek may know something about your friends' murders, if he isn't the, um, the murderer himself.”

“Why would he want to kill my friends, though. What would've been his motive...?”

“It could give him a sense of control... I remember back when his older brother was still alive, Derek was always told what to do by him.”

“But you don't know that it does!” I snapped, instantly regretting it after I said it. “Sorry. I didn't mean to snap.”

Chris rubbed my head affectionately. “Ah, young love.”

“...I honestly don't know if it _is_ yet; it could just be a simple crush...” I sigh as I flash the light in the hallway, hearing Foxy shriek and watching him cover his eyes.

“Can you imagine you and him living together?”

“Yeah...”

“Going on dates...”

“...Yeah, that too.”

“Do you... find him attractive?”

I thought about it as we disguise ourselves before Toy Chica came out of the vent. Derek wasn't exactly a looker, but I definitely like his personality. “In a way, yes...”

“Would you want to...” He cleared his throat as he trailed off. I think I know what he wants to ask, but I don't know the answer to that myself.

_Well, if I don't know, then the answer is probably..._ “...No, not yet...”

I wind the music box up, and when I look up afterward, I spot a slumped yellow Freddy suit in the office...! I froze in place, suddenly recalling someone wearing that very suit standing by Spring Bonnie in the back room...

They were both staring down at me...

“Darlene! Mask!” I faintly heard Chris shout at me. He suddenly sounded so far away... I collapsed onto my knees, breathing heavily, hands covering my face as fear engulfed my entire body. I felt hands on my back, rubbing it slowly and gently. _Is that Chris...?_

I focus on my breathing, eventually getting it to slow down. Once I do get myself to calm down, I feel another, smaller pair of hands on my shoulders. I remove my own from my face to see the spirit of a small boy floating in front of me. I recognize his blonde hair and brown eyes...!

“ _Trevor_...!”

The spirit giggled and apologized. “Sorry, Darlene. I didn't mean to frighten you. I wanted to see you again.”

“Me too... I wanted to see you too...” The spirit then wrapped his arms around me. I wanted to do the same, but I knew it would be fruitless. “You can move in and out of that Golden Freddy suit?”

“Only recently. I'm sure the others told you about the killer using the suit on Wednesday, right? He tried to fix it, but it's in suit mode for good now.”

“Suit mode...?” I asked, confused.

“Fredbear and Spring Bonnie were hybrids of animatronics and suits,” Chris explained to me. “Thanks to springlocks, we could move the robotic parts away so people could wear them. They could be triggered very easily though. We had a few... minor incidents in the past...”

“Minor...? Minor?! My father died because of it! You call that _minor_?!”

“That's what the company called it.” The ginger-haired man shrugged.

_With all these cover-ups and bribing to keep the victims' mouths shut, I'm starting to wonder who the_ real _bad guy is..._ I take a couple deep breaths and tell Trevor. “Okay, I think I'm better now. Let's continue.”

Trevor nodded before reentering the Fredbear suit and fading away. After that, the game continued as normal. I think both Chris and I did all right. There was when BB took my batteries and made Foxy get us, and Chris didn't put the mask on in time to evade Withered Chica.

Then the clock struck five. I was checking the cameras and Chris was checking the vents. I get to the Parts and Service room only to see the purple Freddy from last night, and Chris immediately shut the monitor off.

“Don't stare at that suit!” he warned me. “It'll crash the monitor and make you unable to wind the music box.”

“Oh. Okay...” I reply. I didn't really want to look at it anyway...

I then heard something on the ceiling and look up. It was Mangle, but something about her seemed... different... She looked ready to explode.

“Maxine? What's wrong?” I ask her.

“ _I can't take it anymore!_ ” she suddenly shouted. “ _If I have to endure one more child tearing Toy Foxy apart, I swear someone's getting hurt!_ ”

Feeling empathetic, I turn to my coworker. “Do you think it'll be possible if we could close off Kid's Cove until we can fix Toy Foxy...? Or at least give her a rest?”

Chris stared at Mangle, pondering for a minute. “I'd have to talk to Derek about it, but I'll see what I can do.”

“I'm sure he'll understand,” I assure him.

“... _Well, now that that's taken care of..._ ” Mangle screeched, startling the both of us.

Then the clock chimed. It was 6 AM! Chris sighed in relief as he puts away the Freddy mask, and I take off and put away the Annabelle suit.

“Congratulations, Foxy and BB!” we heard Toy Freddy say. “You two are the winners!”

“ _Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free!_ ” Foxy sang. “ _You are a pirate!_ ” The other robots began to sang along, which got a chuckle from me and Christopher.

“So... may I use a phone to call my mother?” I ask him. “So I can tell her what's going on?”

“Um, actually, the phones have been down since this morning...”

“Really? Then could I quickly head back and tell her?”

“Sure. I don't see why not.”

“Okay. I'll be back as quick as I can!”

I ran over to the front door and grab the handle. _Maybe if I can run home and back, I'll be here in no time._ I try to turn the handle, only to remember it was locked from the outside. I knock on the door, hoping to get Derek's attention.

Nothing... _Is Derek asleep...?_ I knock harder, getting ready to call out his name when I'm suddenly ambushed by a piece of cloth. I grab the arm holding the cloth to my face, attempting to struggle and break free, but my strength was slowly leaving me. I felt my legs give way, and I could also feel someone pick me up in their arms.

I was fading in and out of consciousness, but I tried desperately to stay awake, to see who it was that drugged me. All I remember seeing was a familiar smile before feeling a kiss on my forehead and hearing a deep voice before finally blacking out...

“ _You're mine..._ ”


	9. Day 7

Darlene's POV:

“ _...lene! Darlene! Wake up!”_

_H-huh...? What happened...?_ “Chr... Christopher...?”

“Are you okay? I just found you unconscious here. What happened...?”

My eyes clear up, and I find myself in the Parts and Service room. I struggle to sit up, my entire body feeling exhausted, and when I do get myself to sit up, I try to recall what happened when I tried to leave the pizzeria. “...All I remember is that someone snuck up behind me and drugged me, making me pass out. I can't remember anything after that... Wait!” I gasp. “Mom must be worried sick!”

“I got Derek to go and tell her what was going on,” Chris explained. “We agreed to tell her we were letting you take a quick nap before you were needed. Can you get up?”

“...I might need some help; I feel like I ran a marathon.” My coworker held out a hand, and I took it so he could help me up.

“You might want to make a quick trip to the bathroom, too; you've got bad bed head.”

“Gotcha...” He leads me to where the bathrooms were, and I brushed down my hair and made myself look more presentable. _Jeez, what happened to me...? I look awful... I must've struggled a lot..._ After deciding I was as good as I was going to get, I exited the bathroom and follow Christopher into the main dining area, where there were already several children and a few adults sitting down and talking with each other.

I watched as Toy Chica walked over to the group, singing the birthday song as she placed a cake in front of a young girl wearing glasses. The girl's smile makes me smile and remember the birthday parties I had at the original place, not including my 6th, of course.

“It fills you with joy, doesn't it, making a kid's birthday a happy one?” I felt Chris place a hand on my shoulder to get my attention, and I nod absentmindedly.

“Aww, honey, I never thought you'd be the type to cheat on someone...”

I flip around to see Derek standing behind us. Flustered, I stammer. “I – we – you – I was never even dating you to begin with!”

The purple-haired man burst out laughing. “I'm kidding! I'm kidding!” Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Chris glaring at his new manager. “Sheesh, Chris, take a joke will ya?”

Well... he's got a... _unique_ sense of humor, I guess... “By the way, Darlene, you didn't come out earlier. Did something happen...?”

I tell him of my kidnapping, trying to recall anything that happened after I blacked out. Still nothing... He hugs me and asks me if I was all right, to which I reply I was fine, just exhausted.

Christopher then pat me on the back. “Well, I gotta get going; need to get some sleep for tonight. Make sure no one gets hurt, okay?” I nod, and he turned to Derek. “And don't you do anything to hurt her.”

“Don't have to tell me twice.” Chris just rolled his eyes as he left the building. Derek opened his mouth to say something when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Excuse me?” I turn to see a young woman standing right by me. “I would like to order a couple large pizza for the kids...”

“Of course! A couple large pizzas, coming right up!” She happily handed me the money, and Derek leads me to the kitchen and shows me how to make a Freddy Fasbear pizza. After the pizzas were made, I took the two trays and walked out into the main area, where a man with black hair and green eyes seemed to be waiting for me.

“Would you like some help, miss...?” he asked me.

“Oh, sure!” I hand him a tray, and we walk together to the table, where all the kids were excitedly waiting for the delicious, greasy pizza. As I'm helping hand out the pizza, I begin to talk to the man helping me. “I'm Darlene. Nice to meet you.”

“Same. I'm Samuel. Samuel Greyson. Say, were you a friend of my brother, Evan?

That name caught my attention. “Yes! I was his friend back when he was alive!”

“'When he was alive'...? So he really _is_ dead? As a kid, I was told he just went missing, but I figured that's what really happened...”

I nod. “I'm so sorry...”

“Hey, why are you apologizing?” He walked over to me and smiled sadly. “You were around our age back then, right? What could you have done to save my twin?”

“Twin? You and Evan were twins? I never knew he had a twin!”

“I was a shy kid back then, always around my mother and father. Anyway...” He hugged me. “I'm sorry for your loss.”

I hug back. “...Me too... I mean, I'm sorry for your loss too. I wasn't trying to say that I'm sorry for my loss...”

“Oh, _I_ see how it is!” Samuel joked while laughing. He then grabbed a napkin and pulled out a pen. He wrote something down and then gave the napkin to me. “Here. Take this so we can catch up after this party is over.”

I took the napkin and looked at it. It was a phone number. I just stood there, brain still comprehending everything as Samuel left to check on the kids, whom were now playing the arcade games on the other side of the dining area.

“Aww. How cute!” I heard Toy Chica say, giggling afterward. I turned to the Toy animatronics, feeling like a deer in headlights.

It was then that I realized how fast my heart was racing...

~Main Hallway, 12 PM~

Shortly after talking to Evan's twin, I was in the office collected all of my things that I had left in the room. _Should I take the Annabelle costume...? I should ask Derek about that._ I reach for the Annabelle costume to take it to my manager, when someone else's hand lands on top of mine. Startled, I turned my head to look behind me.

“Hey, love. What're you doing in here? You should be out there watching the kids.”

“I... I figured I had time to get my stuff from the office. I was going to get you and ask if I could keep the Annabelle suit, since Chris told me the company didn't make this...?”

“I was actually thinking of something we could do with that suit. Sorry.”

“It's okay...”

We stood there in silence, and for some reason, I was afraid to move an inch. “So...” I spoke up. “Do you have an idea of what could've happened to me earlier...? Was that old manager guy here last night or something...?”

“Nope,” Derek replied confidently. _Well then, who else could it be...?_

_Wait, I woke up in the Parts and Service room! Maybe my friends know what happened!_

“Well, I better get going. I need to check one thing the Parts and Service room, and then I'll go back to my shift.” I slowly stepped around Derek and out of the office as I said goodbye only to stop when I heard a familiar voice.

“If you think you're gonna get anything out of your _friends_ , you'd be mistaken; they were asleep at the time. They have no idea what happened.”

_That deep voice_... I look around at my surroundings. Just me and Derek... I slowly turn to Derek, my gut feeling telling me something I _really_ didn't want to believe.

“Was... was that you...?” I ask my manager. Without answering my question, Derek began walking over to me. I stepped back until my back hit the wall, and the older man placed his hands on the same wall, effectively trapping me there. “H-hey, what're you doing, Derek...?”

“I want to tell you something, love...” He then leaned forward and kissed me. I should've been over the moon, but... instead I was scared. This wasn't the Derek I've come to know...

Was the Derek I know just a front...?

“You were my first friend, Darlene. No one wanted to be my friend until I met you. You were such an innocent girl back then.” He sighed reminiscently. “Someone so innocent shouldn't have to worry about all the evil the outside world has to offer, but I didn't want you to be lonely either. Thus, I decided to invite your friends over as well, so you could have your happiest day. However, my sympathy for you turned out to be my undoing.”

At first , I wasn't following what he was saying. He wasn't making any sense, until I finally made the connection. I looked down, refusing to look at the man I had once crushed on in the eyes.

“You got away,” he continued. “You became _afraid_ of the animatronics, of _me_. You had to go to the hospital to undo the damage...” He then cupped my left cheek in what was supposed to be a loving manner, but it just made me feel disgusted. “Then you come back into my life 12 years later into a beautiful and still so _innocent_ woman. I couldn't help falling for you.”

He lowers his hand a bit to grab my chin and lift my head up, and he leans forward again. Enraged, I push his face away. Derek stumbles back, and when he looks at me, he looks taken aback, like he wasn't expecting me to fight back.

“What did you do to me?!” I scowl at him, my voice cracking as I spoke. I was getting too emotional. I felt like I was going to burst into tears any second. “You know what, never mind. I don't think I wanna know. Just stay away from me, you sick monster!”

I run into the dining area, only to not see anyone in sight. No one to talk to. I walk over to a nearby table and slump down in a seat, laying my head onto the table in order to softly cry my heart out.

“Um... Miss...?”

Hearing a child's voice made me immediately wipe away my tears and sit up. I see the birthday girl walk up to me nervously.

“Are you okay...?” she asks me.

I sniffle before replying. “It's not that big a deal. Just... just found out someone I liked wasn't who I thought he was. But enough about me, what's going on with you?”

“Everyone's in Pirate's Cove. I tried showing them the sign showing that it was closed, but they didn't seem to care...”

_Maxine!_ I stood up and ran over to the Cove, the young girl following close behind. “Where're the adults?”

“Most of them are in the bathroom. My cousin Samuel is trying to get them out, but it doesn't seem to be working. My sister would always get made at the kids being rough with Mangle. I wish she were still here.”

My heart broke, but I refused to cry again; I had something I needed to do.

I entered the kid's cove to see the kids messing with Toy Foxy as if the area wasn't closed at all. I take a deep breath and shout “HEY!” I get all but one of the kid's attentions. “This area is closed for today! You're not allowed to be in here. Get back into the main area or you'll be in big trouble!”

The kids left, except for the kid that wore a green shirt and blue jeans, whom payed no mind to what I said as he took Toy Foxy apart and put her together in different ways. I walk over to the kid and tapped his shoulder.

“I'm busy!” the kid snapped. _Ooh boy..._

“Excuse me...” I tell the boy, trying my damnedest to not sound annoyed. “This area is closed for the time being. I'm going to have to ask you to head back to the dining area or I'm going to have to tell your parents.”

“Don't wanna!”

“You're _not allowed_ to be here!” I raise my voice a little. “You need to leave!”

“You're not my mama!”

...I am _not_ dealing with this bullshit anymore...

“Okay then.” I grab his arm and attempt to drag him out. “Come with me, young man, and help me find your mom and dad.”

“No! Let me go!”

“I warned you you weren't allowed in here,” I explained to him. “You didn't listen, and now you need to face the consequences.”

The boy struggled to break free, but I held my ground, my forced smile slowly fading as he continued to be difficult.

“Let me go! Mama! Help me!”

“If you follow me out of Kid's Cove, I'll let go!”

“But I don't _wanna_ leave!” Ugh, why do kids have to sound so annoying?!

The boy and I are in a standstill when he looks behind him. “Hey, Mangle's moving!”

“F-Foxy's not supposed to move...!” I finally look up behind the kid, only to continue looking up in horror.

What I saw towering of the both of us... That was _not_ Mangle...

“Kid... Get. Out. _Now!_ ”

The boy finally did as he was told, probably picking up the fear in my voice. I tried to move as well, but I was frozen in fear. I heard Samuel shout my name in the distance, and I hear two more sounds before everything went black.

_CRUNCH!_

_Thud..._


	10. Epilogue

Darlene's POV:

_I think I can hear someone talking... calling my name..._

I get myself to open my eyes to see a white ceiling. I could smell cleaning supplies. I could feel a cozy blanket wrapped around me. _Huh...? Where am I?_

“Oh, good! You're finally awake!”

I lazily turn my head to see a purple-haired man, looking relieved. “What... happened?” I ask him, pulling out my right arm from the blanket to rub my forehead, which felt odd. Was is supposed to feel rigid and bumpy right here...?

“You had part of your frontal lobe bitten off by Mangle, I'm afraid,” the man answered. That just made me confused. _What's a Mangle?_ “Luckily, I called 911 just in time to save you.” He grabbed a mirror from the side table and handed it over to me. “You look absolutely fine. Just some stitches on your head.”

I look in the mirror, and sure enough, there was a large scar wrapped around my forehead right under my brown hair. Other than that, I was still that same woman I know.

Just then, a red-haired man burst through the door and ran over to me. “Darlene! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!” He hugged me, and I just stared at the other man in confusion. After the ginger-haired man pulled away, he continued. “Um, I'm afraid you don't have, um, your... your job at Freddy's anymore. Not that you did something wrong! Um, it's just the place has officially closed down.”

Now I was even more confused. “I... I had a job...?” I look for a calendar to find out it was over a week later than I thought it was. _How long was I out...?_

The two men looked at each other before the red-haired man answered. “Um... yeah... Don't you remember designing and becoming Annabelle Bear to fool the animatronics before you found out they were your friends? Reuniting with your old friends' spirits?”

I chuckled. “What are you talking about? My friends didn't die; they just moved away!”

The men just stared at me sadly. Am... am I not remembering something correctly...?

“The bite must've made her forget...” the ginger man concluded, crossing his arms. "It may not be good to tell her about everything now; we should probably wait for her to remember on her own..."

I looked at the aubergine-haired man, whom smiled at me. “I'm just glad you both are okay...”

“Both...?”

The man looked flustered for a second before composing himself and clearing his throat. “There was a kid in the same area as you at the time of the incident. You were able to get him to leave before he could get hurt as well.”

Then a doctor came in, checked me over, and told me I could be discharged today. The man that had been there since I woke up stood up and held out a hand. “Want me to take you home.”

“Sure.” I take his hand, and he helps me out of bed. “Could we walk home? Do you happen to know where I live...?”

“Of course I do! I've been there a couple times before.”

I smile at the man happily as we walk out the door. I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust him...

  
  


The man and I continued our walk back to my home, and along the way, I come across a familiar-looking building. I look up at the sign.

' _Freddy Fasbear's Pizza...!_ '

I stop and look inside the window, viewing a familiar-yet-larger dining area. “Wow! I didn't know they brought this place back!” I turn to my supposed ex-coworker and ask, “And you said I worked here?”

He nodded. “Yep. You did.”

“Aw man, I wish I could remember that! That sounds amazing! Oh, I remember going there as a kid, playing and messing around with my friends and... and that one worker. What was his name again...? It's been so long, I can't remember...”

“Does the name 'Derek Montgomery' sound familiar to you?”

“ _That's it!_ ” I shout excitedly. “Are _you_ Derek...? Oh my god, I'm so sorry!”

“No offense taken,” Derek smiled at me and walked over to me as I looked back inside. I then spotted what I thought a silhouette of a rabbit animatronic until it's white dot-like eyes looked at me and waved at me. Confusedly, I waved back at it, feeling compelled to do so.

“...Darlene...? Is that you?” I turn around to see a black-haired man that looked to be around my age. _Why do I feel like I've met him before?_ “I'm so glad you're all right. I _did_ tell Derek in time. Thank you so much for your help, by the way.”

“I should be thanking you,” Derek responded. “Unfortunately, I'm not sure if she remembers you...”

“Really?” His face fell. “Well then, I'm Samuel Greyson, your friend Evan's twin.”

“Oh, you guys moved back?!” I excitedly asked him.

My sudden question seemed to take him aback. “Um... n-not really... it's... it's just me...”

Darn it; I wanted to see Evan again... Still, he does look familiar to me, like I've met him before. That's good, right...?

“Hey, do you still have my number?”

“Huh?”

“I wrote my number on a napkin and gave it to you.”

I fished through my pockets and pull out a crumpled napkin and unfolded it. Indeed, there was a phone number on it. It looked familiar, but I couldn't recall the moment I got it.

Still, the thought of him giving me his number made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I then felt Derek grab my shoulder to get my attention. “Well, I think it's time we get you home; even though Chris and I told your mother you were fine, I'm sure she wants to see for herself how you're doing. She should be back home from her job right about now.”

“Hey, why don't you come with us?” I ask Samuel. “The more, the merrier!”

Samuel smiled. “Can't argue with that logic. Sure, I'd love to come with.” He takes my hand and start walking again.

“Ugh, get a room, you two,” Derek groaned, sounding bitter.

“What, there's nothing wrong with holding hands.” Samuel turns to the older man and smirks. “Or are you jealous...?”

I turn around to see Derek roll his eyes as he starts walking behind us. I then take one last glance at the closed pizzeria before looking ahead or me, ready to greet my worried mother back home.

~Freddy Fasbear's Pizza, Main Dining Area~

“ _Wait,_ what _happened?!_ ” Evan asked the toy animatronics.

“ _Even we don't know exactly what happened,_ ” Seth responded, sadly. “ _When we checked Kid's Cove, we saw Darlene on the ground, the top of her head bitten clean off._ ”

“ _I can't believe she was able to survive..._ ” Crystal added.

“ _Do you think she suffered memory loss again?_ ” James asked.

“ _I think it's safe to say that's a definite possibility,_ ” Ash sighed.

It was then that Toy Freddy walked over to them. “Everyone. We got some more news, and it doesn't look good.” All the robots turned to the chubby bear. “Turns out the humans are planning on reopening at an older location in a few years, and they're scrapping the toy animatronics. I think they're assuming Mangle bit her.”

“It wasn't me!” Mangle exclaimed through radio static. “Darlene was trying to save me! It was this big scary bear-like creature! It just appeared out of nowhere and attacked her!” Everyone turned to the Withered Freddy, and Mangle responded, “It wasn't Freddy; the creature was larger.”

The Puppet patted Mangle's plastic fox head. “ _I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens these next few years,_ ” Scott spoke. “ _Maybe Darlene will come back, and we can help her remember everything all over again, and as long as she keeps in touch with that Christopher guy, we should be able to know everything that happens to her even when she's not here._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First story out of 4 done! I hoped you enjoyed it all the way through.  
> The way I'm going about this is that I write up a draft for the entire story, and once that's done, I type up the final draft for each chapter and then post it. I'm actually almost done with the draft of the second story, Memories, but I'm stuck in the middle of the second-to-last chapter. I know the important points I want to happen, but I just don't know how to get from point a to point b. I'll be doing my best to figure out what happens soon, so I can finish the draft and start posting the chapters.  
> This is a story that I really want to finish, now matter how long it takes me...


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